Mass Effect: Race Against Time
by Jou Jou the Magnificent
Summary: John and Jane Shepard grew up as orphans. After getting a chance at a new life, John, now a highly successful soldier in the Systems Alliance, is thrown into a battle he has only little chance of winning. With his crew and loyal squad, young Commander Shepard must fight a force more terrifying the Galaxy has ever seen. Will he succeed? Loosely based on ME1's plot. Shepard X Tali.
1. Prologue

**Mass Effect: Race Against Time**

**Prologue**

**"Do not be afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." – William Shakespeare**

A lightning struck across the stormy sky, hitting the wavy ocean. The barren world of 2181 Desponia was constantly hit by hurricane sized storms. Almost the entire planet was covered in water, and in the dark depths of those endless waters, lied something no person had ever known of. The recently found planet was apparently a favored site of many shipwrecks, some of them being as old as the lost Prothean Empire.

The hard waves banged against a recently downed cargo ship, making it rock violently in the storm. Most of the crew had been killed in the crash, and the rest of them had died of starvation.

Several kilometers below the surface, a massive and bulky figure rose slowly from a dark cave. The creature glided in the water like a squid, not being worried about predators of any kind. No, this creature was at the top of the food chain, and not only was it strong, it was intelligent. Unbeknownst to all the civilizations and governments in the modern day Milky Way Galaxy, a flock of creatures almost as old as the universe itself, resided in the dark depths of an ocean, silently overlooking the matters of the galaxy, for millions of years.

The lone creature let its voice heard across the deep blue sea, scaring any and all smaller animals away. The voice it spoke in was metallic, and extremely low pitched, giving it even more of an intimidating impression.

"50 000 years have passed, the extinction will begin soon again." The creature spoke, bringing fear and anxiety to any who'd hear it. Beside the creature, rose another one.

"The cycle continues, as always, the species of this cycle are not prepared." The other creature stated. A third creature joined the pair then, moving slowly up from a dark bottomless cave.

"They will all die, then. For millions of years this cycle has continued… and we were the ones to start it." The third creature stated in a lower voice, sounding a bit of regret to the other creatures.

"What our ancestors did has nothing to do with us… we couldn't stop them ourselves, so no other species can either. We were the pinnacle of evolution, gods among all the lesser creatures, and even we were destroyed, by our own creations." The first creature stated.

"Is it the hubris of all mortals that makes them seek immortality amongst others?" The second creature asked poetically, the third one rose a bit further above from the two others.

"Immortality is an abomination, created by mortals, never conceived by nature… our ancestors thought they could stop the universe from following its natural path, and for that, they and all the others were cursed for all of eternity... eternity of suffering and death." The creature lamented to the others. The first creature then rose beside the third one.

"However you would want to see it, what's done is done… the universe will die out, like everything… now it's just taking a longer time." The creature stated. The second creature slowly glided down into its cave again.

"Our time comes too someday, like all mortals… the cycle will continue." The creature said, before vanishing into the dark cave. The third creature started to sink itself deeper too.

"The cycle will continue. May some luck bless the people who face annihilation this time" The creature said quietly, vanishing from view.

The lone creature now descended into its own cave, quietly murmuring the repeating sentence.

"The cycle will continue…"

Above the surface of the stormy ocean, a heavy rain started to accompany the thunder, predicting a grim future for the galaxy, like 50 000 years earlier.

****Okay, so first things first. The Star Wars fanfic will continue at some point, it's on hold for now, since I have no motivation to continue it at the moment.**

**This is my new and ongoing fanfic, the story of the entire Mass Effect trilogy. Note that this fanfic only follows the story in its core, and doesn't follow all the smallest details, and changes many things during it. This is my personal version of the story of Commander Shepard, and if anyone will have problems with the decisions I make during this, I apologize for not satisfying your wishes, but I won't change the things I've already changed in the story. **

**Also, this fanfic will be split into three separate stories, the first one depicting the story before and during Mass Effect. The second one will be about the time before and during Mass Effect 2, and the third one will naturally be about the time before, during, and after Mass Effect 3. I hope you'll all get interested in this, I certainly am. Thank you, and Keelah se'lai.** **


	2. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

A light summer breeze pushed green leaves from the blushing trees, making them dance in the air. The afternoon sun bloomed over the skies, making the day warm and pleasant.

The wind blew a few leaves past a teenage human boy, who was lying on the roof of an old abandoned shed. The boy looked at the clear skies, following all the birds flying by, and also many of the arriving spaceships, that approached the nearby city center for landing.

Suddenly a landing ship caught the boy's eye. He recognized it being of quarian design, from its unique appearance. The frigate sized ship was landing slowly, moving towards the spaceport in the nearby city. The boy sat up and jumped down from the roof, his sneakers blowing dust around, as he touched the dirt ground. He swiped his old hoodie and worn jeans off of any dust and sand, and then snatched an old watch from one of his jeans' pockets. The boy looked the time, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"2:10 PM, just in time." He said, and quickly stuffed the old watch back in his pocket. After that, the boy started to head towards the nearby city.

After walking down the old empty asphalt road for a while, the boy stopped, as he heard loud footsteps behind him. Someone was running at him. As soon as he turned around, he felt a huge thrust of force pushing him down on his back. The boy clenched his teeth together, and opened his brown eyes a bit later. As he opened his eyes, he saw a young girl smiling at him widely, her brown eyes sparkling with joy, and her black hair hanging down towards the boys face. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Bam! You're grounded, Johnny!" The girl said, laughing wholeheartedly.

"Jane! You know I don't like that!" The boy said with a slight laugh. The girl laughed more, and stood up, offering her hand to him.

"Come on, big brother! It practices your sense of awareness. You wouldn't want to get surprised in a battle, would you, soldier boy?" The girl said, laughing quietly, and smiling more. The boy grabbed her hand, and stood up. He was a bit taller than her, about the length of her head. He nudged the girl in her shoulder, and smirked cheekily at her.

"Oh, you can be sure I'll be the best soldier in the whole military, sis." The boy said, faking a bit of his pride. The girl rolled her eyes, and looked at him for a bit, before wiping a bit of dust from his cheek.

"Sure, I know you will, John." She said, before giving a quick kiss on her brother's cheek. The girl then looked at him with curious eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked curiously. The boy smiled at her, and told her what he saw.

"It's Shem, he's coming now! We've got to get to the spaceport!" He said happily. The girl's eyes widened.

"Shem? Oh my goodness! Let's go! I wonder what he got us this time." She said, and immediately started to head towards the city, her brother right behind her.

The siblings were 17 year old John Shepard, and his 15 year old little sister Jane Shepard. They were orphaned street urchins living in the year 2175 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. Once the birthplace of one of the most influential nations in the world, Philadelphia had developed into a megacity; housing more than 15 million people, almost 14 times more than it did a little under 200 years ago. Though due to the fast technological advancements in human society for the past 30 years, like many cities around the world; Philadelphia was split between the rich, and the poor.

The city had one of the biggest slum districts in all of America, although many wouldn't consider it a real slum. Most of the "poorer" houses in the city and its suburbs were built in the 21st century at the earliest. The Shepard siblings lived in one such house, in Western Philadelphia. Throughout the years they had lived as street walkers without money or food, that particular old house had provided them with cover, warmth, and a sense of security.

Life was hard for the young brother and sister, as they had almost no money at all to use. They made do every day by trying to find something to eat, and also using the social benefits from the city. Since there were so many unregistered people living in Philadelphia, the city couldn't provide John and his sister a foster home. The siblings were sometimes even forced to steal in order to get by day after day.

They had not always lived in Philadelphia; their whole family was from Boston, Massachusetts. John was born in 2158, five years after the family's eldest son Alan. The siblings' parents; James and Marie Shepard, lived an adequately prosperous life with their three children, in Boston. Their mother worked as a secretary in Boston's city hall, and had some various diplomatic connections. Their father worked at a nearby Alliance shipyard, and was very skilled in technical work. From their parents, the eldest son Alan learned many valuable skills to help him survive. Very early on in their life, Alan took it as his responsibility to teach the same things to his younger siblings.

When John was only 8 years old; he and his siblings tragically lost their parents. The parents left for a vacation on the small colony world of Mindoir, and left their three children in the care of Marie's brother in Philadelphia. During their visit to Mindoir, a band of Batarian pirates attacked the lonely colony world, massacring over half of the planet's population, James and Marie Shepard included. After that tragic event, the three children had to live with their uncle, who also died only a year later in a car accident. Ever since then, the Shepard siblings had lived on their own, orphaned and alone in the big city of Philadelphia.

Alan had taken responsibility over his siblings, taking care of them for five years. After he had turned 18, Alan vanished, leaving John and Jane fend for themselves. John hadn't heard from his older brother ever since Alan disappeared, and sometimes he even thought that his brother had met his end in a gang fight, in the dark alleys of the city. No matter where Alan had gone, John took it as his responsibility to take care of Jane, and teach her all the things Alan had taught him. During their time alone, living by themselves for the last four years, John and Jane had grown closer than ever. Their relationship was stronger than with most siblings, and they loved each other more than anything in the whole world. Only thing John cared about anymore, was his sister's well being, and he was ready for everything and anything to keep her safe. Because Philadelphia had many poor people living in the city, many younger orphans formed violent gangs that fought over power and dominance in the city's various districts. John had kept it his sole duty not to get involved with such gangs, and also keep his sister safe from the hooligans running in those groups. Sometimes John had to resort to violence, in order to keep various gang members away from him, and more importantly, his sister.

Since he was 17 years old, John was eagerly waiting for turning 18, when he could try to recruit into the Alliance as a soldier, and finally earn real money for him and his sister. Being an Alliance marina had always been one of his dreams, John spent many hours of his life watching Alliance warships come and go at Philadelphia's spaceport. He would've given anything to get a chance of joining in with the brave soldiers of the Alliance, and protect humanity from any and all dangers.

**...**

The siblings walked together towards the city center of Philadelphia, heading to their destination; the spaceport of the city. One of their only acquaintances; Shem'Raan vas Orvell was arriving in Philadelphia with his frigate sized quarian ship. About two years ago, Shem had met John and Jane, while on a business trip for the Migrant Flotilla. Shem'Raan occasionally traveled to Earth in search of valuable supplies for the large quarian fleet. Since getting known to the two young humans, Shem'Raan had brought various items to them, every time he visited Philadelphia. John and Jane considered the adult quarian to be one of their only, if not their only friend. Shem felt sympathy for the young orphans, seeing many similarities in them and in his people, who were the outcasts of the Milky Way Galaxy.

After walking for many minutes, the brother and sister had gotten to the city center. They walked closely together in the streets, walking past many people minding their own business. Most other people usually tended to avoid getting too close to John or Jane, everyone could see that they were poor, and because of the many street gangs in the city, no "unfortunate" teenager was looked upon with a kind eye.

The two human youngsters arrived to the opposite street from the spaceport entrance; the building was a tall skyscraper, with docking bays for several ships, located on the roof section of the building. Some people saw the spaceport being unconventional, since large ships would always have to carefully navigate past some other skyscrapers in the city, but for this day the spaceport had remained as it was.

John looked around the entrance doors to the building, seeing several LOKI mechs guarding it. He stroked his chin for a bit.

"Hmm, those mechs are in our way, sis. Any idea on how to get past them?" John asked his younger sister. After looking around a minute, Jane nudged her brother's arm, and pointed to the side of the tall building.

"See? There's a window cleaning platform, we can use that." Jane said, pointing at a lift platform, used to clean the many windows on the building. John smirked and laughed a bit, patting his sister's shoulder.

"Jane Emily Shepard, you are growing out to be a criminal mastermind." John said jokingly. Jane rolled her eyes, and started walking across the street with her brother.

"Remember who was the one to get handcuffed a couple of months ago, John Adrian Shepard." Jane said plainly, bringing some irony to John's statement. John cleared his throat.

"Well… it was for a good cause, and you broke me out, remember? You did a bigger crime." John pointed out. Jane rolled her eyes again, and smiled a little.

"Whatever, Johnny." She answered, and kept walking towards the window cleaning lift.

The two walked to the lift, and stepped in, John closing the small door, and pressing the activation button, making the platform move up the side of the building. As the small platform ascended towards the roof of the building, John leaned on the railing of the lift, and looked around the scenery. His sister moved to lean on beside him, looking at the sights too.

"You know… it's been four years since Alan vanished." Jane said quietly. John bit his lower lip, and looked to the other direction, not really wanting to talk about his long lost brother.

"I know… but he's gone, let's not dwell on the past, sis." John said quickly, ending the conversation. Jane nodded silently, and continued to look at the sights.

**...**

After a couple of minutes, the platform came to a halt on the roof of the tall skyscraper. The siblings stepped out of the lift, and started to walk around the large landing zone area. The two looked around as they walked on the spacious docking area. John spotted the Orvell, being docked on the left side of the spaceport. As they started to walk towards the quarian ship, John also spotted a surprising sight on the other side of the spaceport. A newly constructed Alliance cruiser, SSV New Orleans, was docked on the right side of the spaceport. John's eyes widened, as he looked at the shiny new warship. Jane saw how her brother admired the ship, and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, your drool is flooding the whole place." She said, laughing quietly. John regained his focus, and suddenly wrapped his arms around Jane's body, and started spinning her in the air, laughing. Jane screamed playfully, and laughed.

"Johnny! Let me down!" She yelled, trying to stop her laughing, but failing. John laughed, and put his sister down on the ground again.

"That's for making fun of me, Jane" He said, while smirking. Jane rolled her eyes, and tugged her brother to come with her. As they continued walking towards the quarian ship, John noticed something even more incredible. Standing a couple of meters from him was a soldier, wearing a grey armor. John didn't even need to take a closer look to recognize the soldier being an N7 soldier.

N7 soldiers were the elite of the elite in the Alliance military; they had the best training, best equipment, and most dangerous and special missions. John's number one dream had always been to become an N7 soldier, a hero who'd be the inspiration for millions of young men like him.

The black human man overlooked two groups of fresh Alliance recruits marching towards the New Orleans, most likely getting the recruits to their training bases somewhere around Alliance controlled space. John couldn't help himself, but to walk a bit closer, seeing the soldier's armor in more detail. He could see the man was holding an N7 Valkyrie assault rifle, the elite rifle exclusively given to N7 soldiers.

Before John could turn around, and head towards the Quarian vessel, the soldier turned around, and noticed him.

"Well, hello there, young man." The dark skinned man said, smiling friendly. John opened his mouth a little, not really knowing what to say. The soldier laughed quietly.

"First time seeing an N7 up close?" The man asked. John swallowed and nodded his head.

"Yes… yes sir." He said stuttering a bit. The soldier smiled and walked in front of John, offering his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, youngster. I'm Commander David Anderson, Alliance Navy, as you could probably tell already." The soldier said in a friendly manner. John shook the man's hand.

"Uhm… I'm John… John Shepard, Commander sir." He said quite shyly. Commander Anderson smiled, shaking the young man's hand.

"Out for some sightseeing or business, are you?" Anderson asked friendly.

"Meeting an old friend with my sister… she's…" John said, but suddenly stopped as he saw that Jane wasn't around. Anderson tapped his shoulder.

"No worries, kiddo, your sister is alright; this docking area is full of us soldiers, we'll find her, if she goes missing." He said with a smile. John nodded and smiled slightly too.

At that moment, Jane suddenly appeared next to John again, tugging his sleeve.

"Johnny, come on! I already met with Shem." She said, not noticing the soldier in front of her at first. As Jane saw Anderson, she looked at him with admiring eyes.

"Wow! An N7 soldier! My brother wants to become one of you guys too!" Jane said cheerily. Anderson laughed a bit.

"Well, the Alliance is always welcoming new recruits; so John, if you find it in your interest, just sign right up, and you'll be on your way to the ranks of N7." He said, winking his eye to John. The boy smirked, and scratched the back of his neck a bit.

Then another Alliance marine walked next to Anderson, getting the Commander's attention.

"Commander Anderson, sir. Captain Wilkins wants to see you." The marine explained. Anderson nodded and turned to look at the youngsters.

"Well… duty calls, I'll catch up with you later. Stay safe, you two!" Anderson said smilingly, and walked away from John and Jane next to the marine.

Jane then grabbed her brother's sleeve, and pulled him with her.

"Come on, soldier boy! Let's go meet Shem." She said, pulling her brother towards the quarian frigate. John walked beside his sister towards the ship, and a familiar quarian was standing a couple of meters ahead of them, talking to one of his crewmembers.

"Make sure all of the FG-78 couplings are stored into radiation proof compartments, we don't want a radiation leak at the flotilla." Shem'Raan said to the quarian man standing in front of him. The quarian crewmember saluted him.

"Yes, sir." The man said, and left to tend to his duties.

John and Jane approached their quarian friend, and Shem noticed them, immediately turning to them.

"Now, look who's grown up again? How are you doing, John?" Shem asked, while giving a handshake and a pat on the shoulder to John.

"Pretty good, Shem. It's good to see you again." John answered, smiling. His quarian friend nodded, smiling under the masking helmet he and all the other quarians wore as a part of their envirosuits.

"It's good to see you two safe, I know how hard it is to live out here." Shem said, looking at the two young humans.

"We get by okay enough." Jane said, smiling at her friend. Shem returned the smile under his mask, and then reached something from his suit's pockets.

"I brought you two something special. They're used, but I hope you'll find them good enough." The quarian man said, and pulled out a pair of small glove kind of devices. The two teenagers immediately knew, what they were.

"Oh my goodness! You brought us Omni-Tools?!" Jane exclaimed in surprise. John's eyes widened too, as Shem handed the holographic multipurpose tools to them.

"Yes, I got John a Logic Arrest V, an old but still powerful and dependable model. For you, Jane, I got a Nexus IV, overclocked and boosted to the max, it'll be more than enough for your calculations." Shem explained, as John and Jane put the devices on their arms, both activating them immediately as well. The orange color of the holographic devices made their arms glow. Jane browsed through her new multipurpose tool.

"Yours still needs a bit of calibrating to done, Jane… so if you could, I'll calibrate it with you in the ship." Shem said. Jane smiled happily and nodded,

"Yes please!" She said cheerily. John deactivated his Omni-Tool.

"Thank you very much for these, Shem. I'm sure it'll make some things easier for us." John said to his friend. Shem nodded friendly, but then stroked the chin of his helmet a bit.

"There's something else I brought with me this time as well." He said. Jane and John looked at each other, and then at Shem.

"My niece, Tali; she's never traveled outside of the fleet, and I thought it'd be a nice idea to bring her here, to see a bit of your homeworld." Shem explained. John raised his eyebrow.

"Your niece? How old is she?" He asked.

"She's 14 years old, and extremely shy, but yet very curious. I was hoping you could maybe show her around the city, while I and Jane work on her Omni-Tool" Shem said. John's eyes widened. Jane smirked and nudged his arm.

"Leave it to Johnny; he's a ladies' man alright." She said, laughing a bit.

"Well, as long as you keep her safe, John, you can have the liberty of taking her wherever you want." Shem said to him. John looked a little awkward, never having to had to keep company for a girl before.

"Uhm… okay… uh… I'll show her around a bit." John said rather quietly. Shem patted his shoulder.

"Thank you, John. She's somewhere around this docking area, go find her. I'll go with Jane to see what we can do with this thing." He said, and started to escort Jane with him towards the ship. Jane smirked at her brother, as she walked away.

"Have fun, charmer!" She said, playfully winking an eye to John. John rolled his eyes a bit.

"Yeah, great." He said quietly, and started to walk around the docking area, looking for the young quarian girl.

**Few minutes later...**

John looked around an area filled with large containers. The boy blew out some air from his mouth, clasping his hands together once.

"Find a quarian girl… how hard can that be?" He asked himself, as he looked around.

Suddenly he heard the sound of an Omni-Tool activating, and headed towards the sound. He walked around the corner of a container, and saw a young quarian figure scanning something with an Omni-Tool. John could easily tell that she was the girl he was looking for, since he had never seen a quarian that small. He started to walk towards the girl, who had her back faced towards John.

As John walked to her, he couldn't help but have his eyes wander down on the quarian's body, admiring her physique. Her bottom especially drew his attention. Realizing what he was doing, John shook his head.

"The heck is wrong with me?" He asked himself, and continued walking towards the girl.

John walked behind the Quarian girl, and cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. The girl didn't react, so John tried again, with no success.

"Uh… miss? Miss Tali?" John asked quietly, and gently tapped the girl's shoulder. Suddenly the girl jumped and turned around, her Omni-Tool pointed at John. Before John could even react, the girl's Omni-Tool shot out electricity in to John. John shook a bit, as the electricity flowed through his body.

"Keelah!" The girl yelled, as she saw what her Omni-Tool did to John.

The next thing John noticed was him laying on the ground, the quarian girl looking at him. He slowly sat up, grunting a bit.

"Well… that was quite an unusual hello." John said rather quietly, trying to joke a bit. The quarian girl looked like she was panicking.

"I'm so sorry! Oh Keelah! I didn't mean to!" She tried to explain. John stood up and lifted his hand.

"No, no. It's alright. I shouldn't have walked up to you like that." He said, trying to make the girl calm down. The quarian girl did calm down, nodding her head.

"If you say so. I'm still sorry I reacted that way… I'm just nervous I guess." She explained. John smiled and nodded his head, then offering his hand.

"I was actually looking for you, I'm John Shepard. I think your uncle Shem has mentioned me?" He said, smiling. The quarian carefully shook his hand.

"Oh, yes. Uncle Shem has indeed mentioned you, John'Shepard." The girl said, in a happier tone.

"I'm Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Raaya." She said then. John nodded his head.

"That's a funny name you have." He said, not really realizing what he just said. After a second, he quickly took it back.

"No! I mean… no offence, of course, I think you quarians have… fascinating names." He stuttered. Tali laughed quietly, which made John smile widely, he hadn't ever heard such a cute laugh.

"It's alright; I know we have unusual names compared to other species." She said, smiling behind her mask. John scratched the back of his head.

"Well, uh… shall we go? I was asked to show you around." He said, smiling a bit sheepishly. Tali nodded her head cheerily.

"Yes, please. I've never been anywhere outside of our fleet, it'll be exciting to see different places." She said happily. John smiled, and then started to escort his new friend off the docking area.

**Half an hour later...**

John walked along a quiet and peaceful sidewalk, in one of the city's parks, with his new friend, Tali. John couldn't help himself to smile widely, as he saw his quarian friend curiously looking at the various trees and plants that lied around the park. He didn't know why, but he felt some sort of connection to Tali, like they were always meant to meet someday, they got along so well. John also hadn't in all his days seen a cuter and adoring little thing, and that made him blush out of embarrassment at times.

As Tali scanned some trees with her Omni-Tool, John noticed a bush of red roses nearby. He smiled as he walked to the flower bush, and carefully took out one rose. Tali deactivated her Omni-Tool, and as she turned around, she saw John standing in front of him, holding a flower in his hand.

"I, uh… I thought I'd give you this. It's called a rose. Be careful of the thorns, they're spiky." John said, handing the flower to Tali. The quarian girl didn't really know how to react.

"Oh… I… uhm… I've never received a… a flower before." She said quietly, looking at the beautiful rose. John scratched the back of his head again, being a bit embarrassed.

"Well, uh… often around here many boys give flowers to girls they think are pretty." He said, looking at another direction for a bit. Tali blushed heavily under her mask, as she heard that.

"Oh, well… I… oh… thank you." She stuttered quietly, fiddling the rose in her hands. John blushed a bit too, and smiled.

Right then John took a look behind Tali's shoulder, where he saw two young men walking towards them.

"Hey, Shepard!" One of them yelled, as they walked to the standing couple. Tali turned around, and immediately took a few steps backwards, as John positioned himself in front of her, protecting her. John knew who the two guys were; they were Caleb and Brian Stenton, brothers affiliated with one of the teenage gangs in the city.

Occasionally those two gave John and his sister some trouble, thinking themselves being so tough and cool for being part of a gang. Though John always tried to resolve their conflicts without violence, many times he had to get physical with the two hooligans. John stepped in front of Tali, not wanting the two guys to hurt her in any way.

"What do you two want now?" John asked in an angry tone. Caleb Stenton laughed mockingly.

"We just wanted to say hello, dipshit." The tough guy said. His brother laughed too.

"Yeah, hey where's Jane? Did she turn into a quarian all of the sudden?" Brian asked, pointing at Tali, which made her gently touch John's arm. John's patience was running out quickly.

"Why don't you two just beat it, and leave us alone?" John asked angrily, squeezing his hands into fists. The two brothers came a bit closer.

"You know what? I think this time we'll actually just beat the fuck out of you, you've been annoying enough for too long." Caleb threatened. Brian joined in.

"Yeah, and after that, we'll rip that quarian's helmet off her ugly head; I've always wanted to see what kind of freaks they are under those masks." Brian said in a threatening manner, making Tali even more scared. John got ready for a fight, but then suddenly a voice distracted the two guys.

"Hey!" Someone yelled behind Brian. As the guy turned around, he was met with a kick to the groin. As Brian screamed in pain, and knelt down, Jane, who was behind the attack, athletically jumped around, and kicked the bully's face.

"Brian!" Caleb yelled, trying to react, but wasn't quick enough, as John quickly and effectively kicked the back of the guy's knee, making him lose balance. After that, John hit the bully in the face with his hard elbow, cracking the tough guy's nose. Caleb fell to the ground, whining in agony, and holding his bleeding nose.

As the two hooligans lied down on the ground, beaten, Jane smirked with her brother, and the two of them gave each other a high five.

"Nice timing, dear sister." John said, smirking and laughing quietly.

"It seems so; I'm always the one to come in to your aid." Jane said jokingly, patting his brother's shoulder.

Tali, who was still standing back, looked at the two beaten bullies, not really believing what just had happened. Jane walked in front of her, and offered her hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Tali. I'm Jane, this idiot's gorgeous sister." Jane said, smiling in a friendly manner. Tali shook the human girl's hand, still being a bit dumbfounded by what had happened.

"Hi… it's nice to meet you too, I've… never seen two people so casual about fighting." The quarian girl said. John and Jane quickly glanced at each other.

"Well… we've had to dealt with those two many times before, it's kind of normal for us these days." John explained. Tali nodded slowly, not sure how to react. John then looked around a bit.

"We should head out, before any police will show up, that'll just slow us down more." He explained, taking Tali's hand, and starting to walk away from the park, Jane walking right beside them.

**An hour later... **

The trio had returned to the spaceport, Tali's uncle already waiting for her. John and Jane stood beside each other, in front of Shem and his niece.

"Thank you for keeping my niece company, John… I'm sure she had an interesting experience." Shem said, patting John's shoulder.

"I was happy to show her around, she's really nice." He said, smiling at Tali, who again blushed a bit behind her mask.

"Thank you… both of you, I had a great time." Tali said cheerily, smiling under her helmet. Jane and John nodded happily.

"Don't mention it, Tali. It was our pleasure." Jane said friendly, smiling widely.

Tali fiddled around with her hands for a bit, and then suddenly hugged Jane. John raised his eyebrows a bit, being as surprised as Jane about the hug. Jane returned the hug, smiling. After that, before John could even do anything, Tali wrapped her arms around him.

That made John's heart jump, not once had a girl other than Jane hugged her. Jane could see her brother's reaction, and she giggled quietly.

"Oh... well… this is a nice surprise." John said awkwardly, blushing a tiny bit. Tali separated from him, and smiled under her mask, looking into the human boy's brown eyes. John didn't know why, but he felt as if Tali's eyes captured his own, and made them stare at her shining eyes behind the mask.

"I'm really happy I met you, John… and you too, Jane. I hope we can be friends." Tali said quietly.

"Are you joking? Of course we're friends, Tali." John said, smiling sweetly, and patting Tali's shoulder. The Quarian girl blushed again, and looked down at her feet.

"Thank you…" She said quietly.

Shem hated to intervene with the youngsters, but he had to.

"Okay, Tali… we should be going, we have to leave the spaceport in half an hour." Shem said to his niece. Tali nodded quietly, and waved her hand at the two humans.

"Well, goodbye then. I really liked meeting you." She said, smiling behind her mask. John and Jane returned the gesture, also smiling.

"We were just as happy to meet you; Tali… have a safe trip back." Jane said happily. John nodded his head, smiling at the Quarians.

After that, Shem escorted his niece towards the ship, saying his goodbyes to the siblings.

"Stay safe, you two… I'll see you again, as soon as I'll be able to return. Farewell for now." Shem said, and started heading towards his ship, Tali walking beside him.

As John and Jane turned around, and started to head off from the spaceport, Jane nudged her brother's arm.

"What?" John asked, looking at his sister. Jane smirked and winked her eye at him.

"I could really tell you two hit your eyes on each other." She said, smiling cheekily. John cleared his throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said plainly, continuing to walk away. Jane rolled her eyes, and smiled.

As they walked towards the window cleaning platform, John noticed a couple of Alliance soldiers rushing towards the New Orleans. John assumed that the ship was leaving soon. One of the rushing soldiers dropped a datapad from his pocket, and John immediately rushed after him, grabbing the datapad of the ground.

"Excuse me! Sir! You dropped this." John yelled after the soldier, who turned around, and jogged to him, taking the datapad off his hands.

"Thanks, kid! I would've been in trouble without this." The soldier thanked John, and then quickly turned back around, and headed towards the cruiser.

Then out of the blue, John heard a loud sound traveling towards the spaceport, almost like a rocket. He saw two flashing projectiles approaching fast.

"Missiles!" One marine screamed, but too late. The two missiles hit the New Orleans on its side hull, causing a massive chain reaction of explosions. A massive shockwave caught everyone off guard, and John could feel the intense heat coming out of the destructive explosions, as he flew back. His clothes burned and got torn up, as he fell down on the ground. John immediately lost his consciousness.

John didn't know where he was, what was going on. All he could see was black. Then he started to hear muffled sounds, and he left his body shaking. He opened his eyes slowly, his sight being blurry and unfocused. He could see Jane tearing up over him, shaking his body.

"No, John. Please don't be dead, please no!" Jane begged, trying to get her brother awake.

John opened his eyes fully, and groaned in pain, trying to move, but realizing it was pointless, he was paralyzed by pain. Jane embraced her brother, and cried onto him.

"Oh, Johnny! I thought you had left me!" She said, crying quietly. John slowly moved his hand to stroke Jane's hair.

"I'll never leave you, Jane… ever." He said weakly. John looked around, and all he saw was flames and smoke. The entire spaceport was filled with fire, and people running around, trying to escape, as well as the emergency operators trying to get everything under control.

Jane noticed a familiar soldier walking around, and got his attention.

"Mr. Anderson! Mr. Anderson, over here! John's hurt!" Jane yelled in a crying voice, her face filled with tears. Anderson saw the two young siblings, and rushed to them, kneeling beside Jane.

"Dear God. Okay, John… just stay still, we'll get you out of here." Anderson said, trying to calm them down. John really couldn't move, even if he wanted to.

Anderson looked around, trying to spot any paramedics, or anyone who could help John.

Suddenly John felt like his head was about to explode, he groaned in pain and lifted his hands to his head, holding it. Anderson's eyes widened, and he pulled Jane back from her brother a bit. John didn't know what was going on; he just felt immense pain in his body.

"What's happening to him?!" Jane asked in panic. Anderson couldn't answer her, he had no idea.

John opened his eyes, and saw that his whole body was surrounded by shining blue energy. Some various pieces of debris floated in the air, as the blue energy radiated out of his body. He was afraid, what was happening to him?

An N7 soldier ran beside Anderson, the woman apparently seeing what was going on.

"Stand back, Anderson! He has dark energy radiation!" The woman ordered, and came closer to John, her body suddenly being engulfed by blue energy as well. The woman knelt down beside John.

"Just stay still! This won't hurt." The woman said to John, who was still moaning in pain.

The woman's right hand formed a blue ball of energy, which glowed like a star.

"Sleep." The woman said soothingly, and shot the ball of energy at John. As the energy hit him, John's view blackened, and he fell unconscious.

****Okay, so here we go! First chapter in my new ME series. So the obvious chances are that Shepard actually has siblings. I also thought it'd be cute if Shepard and Tali met years before ME1, so that's why she was in this chapter. **

**I hope you enjoyed this! Let me know in reviews! Keelah se'lai!****


	3. Chapter 2: The Price of a Life

**Chapter 2: The Price of a Life**

Philadelphia's climate wasn't something David Anderson had gotten used to yet. Spending the last ten years around the Galaxy, he had seen and experienced more than most humans had, but he never had seen anything more depressing as the "typical" weather and climate in his home city of London. Even though being raised in Britain, Anderson didn't have a British accent in his English, which made some of his colleagues amazed, when they heard where he was from.

Anderson was born in 2131, in London, England. He was born to a RAF pilot, Paul Anderson, and his wife, Stephanie, who worked as a nurse in one of the hospitals in the city. Anderson saw the evolution of humanity's space faring technology in 2148, as human scientist found the famous prothean data files on Mars, which lead humanity to a new golden age of technological advancements. Earth was in a bad shape, when the discovery of extraterrestrial life spread across the Sol system. Every human was either scared out of their minds or fascinated beyond belief about this revolutionary discovery. Anderson was among the billions of people who saw the first news about the discovery of the Mass Relay near Charon, Pluto's moon. Like many more in the year of 2152, the 21 year old Anderson, a fresh recruit in the British Armed Forces, saw the departure of Jon Grissom, and the crew of UNSV Explorer, who went through the recently activated Relay.

For the next five years, the governments of Earth had colonized new found planets. As tensions rose between the colonized worlds, the United Nations was disbanded, and replaced by the Systems Alliance, which effectively united all the nations of Earth, and the colonized new worlds under a single military government. Even though all nations on Earth were united under the flag of the Alliance, most of them still kept their independence. Some of the poorer countries in Africa unified, forming such new nations as the West African Confederacy, and the Greater Republic of Central Africa.

As humanity grew its reach in the Galaxy, more and more people became anxious of an alien invasion, which led the Alliance to form its military force and navy. With the revolutionary technology gotten from the protheans, humanity was able to utilize their use of Mass Effect fields, and thus build larger and more advanced starships than ever before. With the upgraded warships, Alliance began to patrol its colonized star systems, trying to stay alert for any alien attacks. As the Alliance's military grew larger, Anderson joined in, wanting to protect his homeworld from any and all threats.

Soon enough in 2157, humanity made its first contact with sentient alien life. As many people feared, the aliens were hostile, attacking numerous human trade ships in a few days. After the alien attackers destroyed a small military convoy, the Alliance mobilized its navies. Anderson, then ranked a Corporal in the Alliance navy, was among the first human soldiers to counterattack the aggressive aliens, the turians. The First Contact War was short, but still bloody, taking more than 15 000 human lives, while the turians lost over 7 000 of their own.

Anderson sighed quietly, as he remembered back to that fateful conflict, where he lost many friends. Thinking back to those bloody days, Anderson walked to sit on a nearby bench, at the front of the Central Hospital of Philadelphia, where John was taken in to recover from the surprise attack on the Alliance warship.

Anderson looked towards the spaceport from the bench, still seeing a couple of statues of smoke rising from the explosion site. He couldn't figure out who was behind the attack, most obvious culprits were batarian terrorists, but Anderson wasn't so sure about that. He thought it had to be something more domestic, something nearer to humanity, than an alien terrorist attack.

Thinking of alien attacks, Anderson remembered again one battle he fought in the First Contact War, where he almost lost his life.

_A sudden gust of wind rocked an A-45 Firefly gunship around. The gunships were the predecessors of the modern A-61 Mantis gunship, introduced in 2170. The gunship looked more like the Kodiak series shuttle, which could also be used in space, than a normal attack gunship, which were deployed from carrier ships in orbit._

_Corporal Anderson sat on his seat next to his comrades in the fast moving ship. The marines were armed and ready for battle. Anderson was among the 15 Alliance marines, who were the first ones to deploy to the human colony on the planet Shanxi, which was hit hard by a turian invasion force two days earlier. _

_Another gust of wind gave the gunship turbulence, making one of the marines moan in sickness._

"_Not used to flying, Pattinson?" Sergeant Josh Rockwell, Anderson's direct commanding officer, said in a joking manner. The ill feeling marine looked at the Sergeant._

"_No, sir… turbulence has never been my soft spot" Private Pattinson said, trying to breathe calmly, so he wouldn't throw up. _

_A marine sitting right next to Anderson, Private Kopiloff, huffed quietly, getting everyone's attention._

"_Blyadj. These stupid birds really fucked our colony over here." Kopiloff stated, using his native Russian swearwords. A Hispanic marine, Private Jorge Estalla, spoke up next._

"_I've never gotten the idea why they are called birds. They look like some sort of dinosaurs to me." The private said. A Private next to him, Jeffrey Prince, answered his comrade's question._

"_The turians evolved from avian creatures, that's why." Prince explained. Estalla shook his head._

"_Whatever, man… I just care about how many bullets I need to kill them." The Private remarked. Anderson checked his M7-Lancer assault rifle. _

"_Your gun not clean, Anderson?" Sergeant Rockwell asked him. Anderson looked at his commanding officer, and answered._

"_No, sir. Just checking that it works properly." Anderson answered. The Sergeant nodded, and looked the other way._

_After a moment, the commanding officer in the gunship, Lieutenant Charles Ingram, stood up and turned to face his 14 subordinates._

"_Alright, mates! This is it! Today we'll show those bloody aliens how us humans fight! They invaded us! Killed our people! Destroyed our colonies! This time it'll be them who get that treatment! And after our victory here today, we'll mass all our forces and drive those fucking birds back to their irradiated homeworld, and make it even more radiated! Are you ready, marines!?" Ingram yelled with fiery enthusiasm. All the marines, Anderson included, shouted "Oorah!" in unison. _

_Right after that, the gunship began to rock violently, and the marines could see anti-air fire being fired from the ground. Anderson's heart jumped, landing's like these were not his favourite. The flak fire increased, making the gunship rock even harder. The pilots had to do maneuvers to dodge incoming shells._

_Out of the blue, another gunship flying next to the one Anderson was in, exploded in a hellfire, as an anti-air shell hit its engine. The flaming wreckage pummeled down, raining debris down on the ground._

"_Holy shit!" One of the marines shouted. The atmosphere in the gunship got tense, as most of the marine privates started looking around anxiously. Fear was obviously in the air, as the gunship closed in on its landing zone._

_Anderson glanced out the window, as two AH-92 Super Apache attack helicopters flew past the slower gunships, shooting several missiles as they passed. The Super Apaches were one of the only military aircraft still used, that had rotors operating as the main lifters. Outside of Earth, outdated aircraft like them were rarely used. Since the discovery of mass effect fields the Alliance had spent years developing a new kind of attack gunship, which would later become the modern A-61 Mantis. _

_As the transport gunship lowered its altitude, nearing the landing zone, Anderson could feel his heart beating faster and faster. This could be his last day; after all, many humans had already died from the cruel hands of the turians. _

_The gunship's engines changed their position, tilting towards the nose of the aircraft, reducing the ship's speed immensely. The pilots lowered the landing gear, and prepared to land on the ground. _

_Inside the transport, the marines waited for orders. A red light turned on, and Lieutenant Ingram took control of his soldiers._

"_Alright, you wankers! Stand up! Helmets on!" Ingram shouted. All the marines grabbed their combat helmets under their seats, and put them on. _

_Then out of the blue, as the marines began to stand up, a hail of machine gun fire shattered the gunship's windows, instantly piercing many marine's armoured suits. Blood splattered as the marines dropped dead, after being hit. A Private sitting next to Anderson got hit too, his neck pumping blood like a fountain. Anderson gasped, and stood up with the surviving marines._

_The red light turned green, and the landing ramp on the back of the gunship lowered. _

"_Go! Go!" Lt. Ingram shouted, as the marines rushed out of the gunship, some of them still getting hit by stray bullets from the machine gun fire. Anderson rushed out of the aircraft, getting welcomed by grenade hits on the ground, making explosions that shot dirt to the skies. _

_Anderson quickly turned around, and started to run towards the rendezvous point the high command had planned. Marines around him dropped like flies, as the turian fire cut them down. Anderson ran to a downed AH-92, and took cover from the machine gun fire in the wreckage. Sgt. Rockwell soon arrived beside him, a few other marines following close by. _

"_Hell of a day, eh Anderson?!" Rockwell shouted, as the sound of battle was overwhelming. Anderson ducked his head, as a mortar shot landed near the wreck, raining rocks on the marines' helmets. _

"_We need to get to the rendezvous point, sir!" Anderson answered, raising his head again. Rockwell nodded his head, and looked at the two privates taking cover beside them._

"_Alright! You two! Follow us to the rendezvous point!" Rockwell yelled at the two young privates, who nodded their heads. _

_Anderson took a deep breath, and then he stood up from his cover, and followed Sgt. Rockwell and the two privates towards their destination. Machine gun fire immediately increased, as the marines began their charge at the enemy. One of the marine privates got hit almost instantly, his body being ripped to shreds. The second private met the same fate soon after. Anderson ran behind Rockwell, ducking his head every time a mortar shot hit the ground. _

_Suddenly a mortar shot hit the ground right in front of Rockwell. The explosion pushed both marines on the ground. As Anderson tried to get up, he saw that his squad's sergeant had gotten hit. Rockwell moaned on the ground, missing both of his legs. _

"_Oh, for fuck's sake! Ouh! Fuckin' bastards took my legs!" Rockwell yelled in pain. Anderson got up quickly, not knowing what to do. Then Rockwell suddenly pointed at another direction._

"_Look out!" The Sergeant yelled. As Anderson turned to look around, he saw private Prince trying to advance forward, only to be hit by a blue ball of dark energy. The impact shattered Prince's body armor, vaporizing half of his face and throwing him down on the ground. As Anderson quickly grabbed his rifle from the ground, he saw a turian soldier approaching through smoke, his body surrounded by this glowing blue energy. Anderson had heard of these 'biotics', and that they were extremely powerful and dangerous. _

_The turian soldier approached Anderson with speed, and the corporal opened fire. The turian biotic formed a blue energy wall to protect him from the bullets, and then shot out a wave of energy at Anderson. The shot hit him to his chest, shattering his body armor and helmet, swinging it away in the air. Anderson flew back a couple of meters, and dropped on the ground, groaning in pain. The turian soldier approached Anderson again, taking a pistol from his hip, and pointing it at the human corporal. _

_Just before the turian was able to pull the trigger, his head exploded into a blue bloody mess. The turian fell on the ground, dead, and Anderson sighed in relief. He turned his face towards his sudden savior, who ran beside him. The human soldier then got hit in his helmet, shattering it on the ground. As the marine took his helmet away, Anderson recognized him. The man who had just saved him was Sergeant Jack Harper, a marine from another squad. Harper helped Anderson back on his feet._

"_You alright, Anderson?" Harper asked. Anderson just nodded his head, trying to get his bearings again. _

_As the two marines stood there, three AH-92s flew across the sky, firing countless missiles at the turian positions up front, doing devastating work of them. Then dozens of marines, lead by Lt. Ingram, ran past them, approaching the turian positions._

"_Here we go, lads! Charge!" Lt. Ingram shouted, as he and many marines ran towards the turians. _

_Before Anderson and Harper could join their comrades, a terrifying sight stopped them. From behind a huge cloud in the sky, appeared a large turian cruiser, with hundreds of fighters escorting it. Anderson and Harper couldn't do else than just crouch down for cover, as the turian starfighters dove down in to attack. The fast moving turian fighters did an effective strafe run on the dozens of Alliance marines, trying to charge in to the turian positions. Lt. Ingram with most of the marines, Pvt. Estalla and Pattinson included, got gunned down in seconds, as the terrifying laser guns of the fighters tore their bodies apart. _

_Anderson and Harper stayed down, as the fighters flew over them, being one of the only survivors from that strafe run. As they stood up again, the next thing they heard and saw was even more terrifying. The turians started their own charge at the Alliance positions. _

_Dozens of turians ran towards the shaken marines, shouting their war cries. Anderson and Harper opened their jaws in pure disbelief, as the turians charged at them like in a Japanese banzai charge during World War II. Harper reloaded his rifle._

"_I hope you've said your prayers, Anderson." Harper stated plainly, and quickly took a few steps forward, starting to fire upon the approaching attackers. Anderson, who had no rifle anymore, didn't really know what to do._

_Pvt. Kopiloff, who was among the few who survived, jerked his shotgun, and waited for the turians to come closer._

"_Come at me you svolochi! Come get some!" The Russian soldier yelled on top of his lungs. _

_Sgt. Harper was able to take down a few charging turians with his M7-Lancer, but the masses of turian soldiers overwhelmed him soon. Anderson couldn't but watch helplessly, as a turian soldier attacked Harper in hand in hand combat. Kopiloff shot a couple of turians with his shotgun, but as soon as he had to reload, the turians retaliated, shooting his body full of bloody holes. _

_Anderson looked around the carnage around him. Many marines were now trying to fend off the attacking turians with their bare hands, but the stronger and larger aliens were able to beat them down easily. As Anderson looked in front of him again, he saw a turian soldier running towards him._

_The gray skinned turian soldier stopped a couple of meters from the unarmed Anderson, and aimed his assault rifle at the human marine. Anderson just stood there, accepting his fate. As the turian pulled the trigger on his gun, the rifle spit out smoke. The assault rifle had malfunctioned. _

_Seeing this as his golden opportunity, Anderson quickly charged forward, and attacked the turian. The turian put his assault rifle in front of him, to defend himself, and Anderson grabbed it, pushing it against his enemy. The two soldiers then had a battle of strength, trying to push each other as hard as they could. Then out of the blue, the turian soldier kneecapped Anderson in his stomach, which made him lose all the air in his lungs. The turian kicked his human enemy back, which made Anderson fall on his back on the ground. As the turian then approached him, planning to use his assault rifle as a club to beat on the human marine, Anderson then remember he had his pistol on his hip. Anderson grabbed the pistol from his hip, and quickly aimed at the attacking turian, and shot. The bullet pierced the turians armor, hitting him in the chest, spraying a bit of blue blood out of the wound._

_As Anderson tried to fire again, the pistol jammed. The turian soldier just got angrier from being shot, and he made his way over Anderson, kicking the pistol out of the human's hand, and kneeling down to him, starting to violently choke his enemy. Anderson couldn't fight against the turian's strength, even if he tried his hardest to get the alien's hands off his throat. _

_Just as Anderson was losing his breath, and life, the turian soldier was suddenly stopped from choking him._

_Two other turian soldiers approached the one choking him, and apparently stopped their comrade._

"_Arterius! Vini di collen sparati!" The other turian soldier, clearly higher ranked, ordered. The turian choking Anderson stopped and stood up, grunting angrily._

"_Centurio Gallen! Humu si dal goin mi!" The turian said in a frustrated tone. The turian officer shook his head, and pointed at Anderson, though still looking at the other Turian._

"_Dil humu os hadari captivir! Di collen moronit as dih!" The officer shouted. The other turian grunted in anger, and looked at Anderson, clearly wanting to just kill him. _

_The turian officer took out a small device out of his body armor's pocket, and threw it to Anderson, pointing him to put it in his ear. Anderson did as the turian officer told him to, and placed the small hands-free looking device in his right ear. After that, the turian officer nodded his head._

"_Good. Now you can understand us, human." The officer said. Anderson raised his eyebrow, as he didn't know that turians had translator devices like these. The other Turian cut in._

"_Sergeant! I humbly ask to be allowed to execute this human! He attacked me, it's only right to let me defend myself!" The turian complained. The officer looked at him, and shook his head._

"_This human isn't attacking you right now, is he, Arterius? Now shut your mouth and do as I order!" The officer yelled. The other turian, apparently called Arterius, mumbled something quietly, and then stayed quiet. Then the turian officer turned to face Anderson._

"_I am Sergeant Vergil Gallen of the Turian Hierarchy. State your name and rank, human." Sgt. Gallen ordered. Anderson swallowed quietly._

"_Corporal David Anderson, Alliance Navy." He answered plainly. The turian sergeant nodded his head, and looked at the other turian next to him._

"_Bartus! Take this human to the camp." Sgt. Gallen ordered. The turian saluted his officer, and quickly came to Anderson, and grabbed him, starting to escort him away._

_As Anderson was walked away by the turian soldier, he took a look around the battlefield, filled with the bodies of humans and turians. He also saw Sgt. Rockwell's body lying on the ground, having been died of blood loss. So many dead, and for what? _

_About an hour later, Anderson was sitting on the ground in the turian camp with 20 of his comrades, handcuffed. Sgt. Harper was sitting next to him, having survived his ordeal with the turians. All the marines were just waiting for what the turians would decide to do with them. All of them had a turian soldier behind them, aiming their rifles to their heads. _

_The turian sergeant Gallen discussed with the turian commander nearby, and after a while, both of them came before the prisoners._

"_I am General Desolas Arterius, humans. Due to your hostilities towards the turian Hierarchy and the Galactic Council, you are all sentenced to death. The punishment will be handed down immediately." The turian general stated calmly, but deviously. _

_All the human marines looked around in panic. One soldier tried to beg from the turians._

"_No! Please! We're prisoners of war, you can't kill us!" The young man begged in a weak voice. General Arterius laughed._

"_Hah. You're asking for mercy, even after your species violated one of the most important laws in Citadel space! You're violent, you're brutal, and you're unpredictable! That's why we will make sure you won't do any more harm to this fragile Galaxy!" Desolas stated angrily. _

_None of the marines could do anything to stop the bloodthirsty turians. As the general ordered his men to aim and prepare to execute all of the human soldiers, a bleeping machine caught everyone's attention. A turian soldier pressed a button on a console, and a hologram of three aliens, one of them a turian, appeared._

"_General Arterius, stand down!" The turian in the hologram said. Desolas couldn't believe his ears._

"_But Councilor, I'm doing a service for the Galaxy!" The turian general objected. The alien next to the turian, a blue skinned female alien, with some sort of tentacles growing at the back of her head, chirped in._

"_We have reached a truce with the humans, General. You are to stand down immediately, and cease all hostilities with the Alliance." The female alien said. _

"_What?! But the humans are a threat to us all!" Desolas objected, trying to convince the alien council. The third alien, some sort of a lizard, came in as well._

"_The activation of Relay 314 was an accidental experiment by the humans. We can't punish them for not knowing about our laws and rules, General. This short war is over; we will welcome the humans to join us." The lizard councilor stated._

"_Are we understood, General?" The Ttrian Councilor asked. Desolas opened his mouth, his mandibles moving uncontrollably. _

"_You… I… no! To the void with your orders!" The turian general yelled in defiance, and grabbed a pistol from his hip. Desolas quickly aimed his gun at Sgt. Harper, and pulled the trigger. The shot pierced Harper's armor, and the sergeant fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Anderson gasped, as he saw the man collapse on the ground. _

_The alien council gasped as well, clearly being outraged._

"_Seize him at once!" The turian Councilor ordered. All of the turian soldiers then raised their weapons, and aimed at their general. Desolas looked around in disbelief._

"_Traitors! You're all traitors to the Hierarchy!" The turian general yelled. _

_Then, suddenly, the grey skinned turian soldier, who had choked Anderson just an hour earlier, walked past his turian comrades, grabbing a pistol from his hip, and aiming it to his general's head. Desolas turned to look at him._

"_Saren? Brother?" The turian asked quietly. _

_His brother, Saren Arterius, didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled the trigger on his pistol._

Anderson woke up from his flashback, as a police skycar, utilized by the Philadelphia Police Department, flew past the hospital with its sirens on. The 44 year old soldier then got up from the bench, and headed inside the hospital, going through the main entrance doors.

As he entered the hospital's main lobby, Anderson could immediately see how the recent terrorist attack had increased the surplus of patients in the hospitals around the city. Many humans, turians and even asari had suffered injuries and casualties in the tragic attack. A couple of quarians had also gotten injured in the explosion, but all of them had been taken to different medical centers, since they required sterilized rooms to tend to their wounds.

Anderson walked up to the receptionist's counter, leaning on the table.

"Good day. I'd like to see patient John Shepard, he was brought here as a victim of the spaceport attack." Anderson explained to the woman, sitting behind the counter. Before the receptionist could answer, another woman, in an Alliance officer uniform, walked behind the receptionist.

"John Shepard has been put in special quarantine by the orders of General Westmoore, Captain Wilkins, and Commander Anderson. No visitors are allowed to enter his room." The officer said in a plain voice.

Anderson wasn't wearing his uniform, so he understood why the woman didn't recognize him. He took out an ID card given to Alliance personnel, and showed it to the woman officer.

"I believe I have the authorization." Anderson said plainly. The officer took a look at the ID card, and immediately saluted Anderson.

"Commander, sir!" The woman said. Anderson lifted his hands.

"At ease, officer. Now, can I go see them?" He asked, smiling slightly. The female soldier nodded her head.

"Yes, absolutely, sir. Just go down that hallway over there; Mr. Shepard's room is on the far end of it." The officer said, pointing at a closed off hallway, guarded by a security officer.

Anderson nodded at the officer, and then headed towards the closed door, the security officer opening it for him. Anderson walked through the door into the hallway, and made his way towards the end of it, where John's room was. Two Alliance marines saw him coming, and took positions in front of the door, but as Anderson showed his ID card again, the marines saluted him, and stepped aside.

As Anderson stepped inside the room, he saw John lying on the bed, most of his body wrapped in bandages, and Jane sitting on a chair next to him. The two youngsters saw their visitor enter the room.

"Good day, Mr. Anderson" Jane greeted. Anderson closed the door, and walked in front of John's hospital bed.

"Hey, you two. How are you doing?" He asked, smiling slightly. John grunted quietly.

"Well… my headache is killing me" He said plainly. Anderson nodded his head.

"That's unfortunately the side effect of being a biotic now, especially since you were just implanted with the enhancement implants." He explained. John nodded silently, lifting his hand up a bit, and slowly beginning to form a blue ball of energy in it. Anderson put his own hand on top of John's, stopping him from going further with the biotic experiment.

"You'll need practice and teaching in your new powers, John." He explained, smiling warmly. John nodded his head.

"I assume you were the one to buy the implants for me?" He asked. Anderson smiled, and nodded.

"Yes, don't mention it, I made sure you have the best implants in the market right now, and I can make sure you'll also get the best training." Anderson explained. Jane looked at John, who was thinking.

"There's a catch, isn't there?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. Anderson sighed quietly.

"Yes. John… would you be willing to join the Alliance, after getting proper biotic training first?" Anderson asked. John's eyes widened.

"Are you… serious?" John asked quietly. Jane tugged her brother's arm.

"John! This is your chance! You've always wanted to become an Alliance soldier!" She said cheerily. John wasn't as sure.

"But… what about you? What would happen to Jane?" He asked, looking at his sister, and then Anderson.

"I could take care of her, John, until she's 18. I can give you both a good chance to get your life on its right path." Anderson offered, smiling. John and Jane looked at each other.

"So… you would spend your own time, and money, to give us a chance?" Jane asked curiously. Anderson immediately nodded.

"Absolutely. You two deserve a better life than this… I'm willing to give what I own, to give you a chance to get a better life." He explained.

Jane looked at her brother, smiling widely.

"John, we gotta do this! This is our chance!" She said. John sighed quietly.

"Mr. Anderson… can I talk about it with Jane first, before deciding?" He asked. The middle aged man nodded his head.

"I'll come back in ten minutes." Anderson said, patting John's leg, and leaving the room.

After Anderson had left the room, John looked at his sister.

"Jane, honey. Are you sure this is the right way to go?" He asked. Jane nodded, touching her brother's hand.

"Yes, John. Please, we need to do this… we'll die out on the streets sooner or later." She assured. John was quiet, looking at his sister. He then gently touched Jane's cheek.

"You're dear to me, Jane… I'll always be there for you." He said quietly. Jane smiled slightly, and kissed her brother's cheek.

"I know, John. And no matter if we couldn't stay together when you're training, always remember that I love you." She said, smiling lovingly. John smiled too.

"I will, and you also remember that I love you too." He said. Jane smiled, and hugged her brother, embracing him tightly.

After a couple of minutes, Anderson came back. John and Jane were still hugging each other. Anderson broke a smile, when he saw that.

"So, have you decided?" He asked. John and Jane separated from each other, and looked at the soldier.

"Yes… we accept, Mr. Anderson. I'll… join the Alliance after training in biotics" John declared. Anderson smiled, and walked to the two youngsters, placing his hands on their shoulders.

"You're doing the right thing, you two. I promise you, everything will only turn out better from now on." Anderson assured, smiling at them. John and Jane nodded, ready to face the new challenges and experiences they'd get soon, starting a new life.

**A week later...**

John walked slowly out of the hospital's doors, Jane holding his hand. The shining sun made him close his eyes for a minute. The two young humans saw their new guardian, Commander Anderson, standing by an Alliance Kodiak shuttle, waiting for them.

As they walked to him, Anderson smiled.

"Ready?" He asked the two siblings. They smiled, and nodded. Anderson nodded then too, and escorted them inside the shuttle.

As the shuttle closed its door, and started to ascend to the sky, John spent many minutes watching outside the window, seeing how his home city, Philadelphia, got smaller and smaller. This was a new beginning for him and his sister, and he hoped beyond belief their new life would carry out to be a good one.

****Okay, so here we go; chapter two! Mentioning some of the chances, you'll see that Anderson's backstory is different than the game one. I also thought it'd be interesting to see his perspective during the First Contact War, which I made to be more of a serious war than it was in the game.**

**Also, I gave the turians their language, a weird mix of Latin and Norse languages. And, as you saw, Saren was introduced too, his backstory changed, along with his brother's. **

**I hope you all like the story so far, please let me know in the reviews, they keep me writing this. Take care, and wait for the next chapter** **


	4. Chapter 3: The Avenger of Elysium

**Chapter 3: The Avenger of Elysium**

**Five years later…**

A thumping sound of muffled explosions woke John up. His vision blurry, John slowly opened his eyes, not seeing anything else but smoke and fire. Shaking his head to wake up more, John felt like his head was exploding. Opening his eyes, he looked around his surroundings, finding himself laying on the ground, in a large fountain located in the centre of Illyria, the capital city of a human colony world Elysium. The fountain was in ruins, all the water had drained away earlier. John was in the middle of a massacre site, everywhere he looked, he saw bodies of his fellow soldiers.

Just an hour earlier, he had been riding on a sky train, with all of his comrades, in order to have a shore leave in the elegant city. As soon as they had arrived on the train station, a surprise attack had begun. Without any warning, a group of warships had descended on the city, and opened fire. Dozens of fighters had gunships had filled the sky, raining down fire on the innocent city of Illyria. No one had seen it coming, and before they even knew what was going on, John and his squad had put on their armors, and charged to the streets of the city to defend the innocent civilians from the attackers. Not long into the battle, John's squad was separated from most of the other squads, and had to face down a couple of waves of attacking batarians, and vorcha.

Obviously the attackers were part of the organized raiding fleet that had instigated the Skyllian Blitz, a widespread series of attacks on human colony worlds, two weeks earlier. Even though the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy couldn't prove it, both were more than sure that the raiding armies were supported and supplied by the Batarian Hegemony, in order to harass human colony efforts near the borders of Citadel space.

After regrouping with majority of the defending forces near the city center, a crushing ambush had taken everyone by surprise, and decimated most of the forces. John's squad was among the casualties, having been massacred into the fountain. But through some miracle, John had survived.

Now the 22 year old Alliance marine, ranked Sergeant, was lying in a bloody fountain turned grave, filled with the bodies of his comrades. John could see two other wounded marines trying to move their bodies. To John's dismay, he saw a patrol of batarian soldiers walking past the fountain and its premises, assumingly looking for survivors. Suddenly one of the batarians jumped on the edge of the fountain, looking around the carnage. The soldier saw the two wounded Alliance marines, trying to move themselves.

John cursed himself for not being able to say anything to warn the marines, because if he did that, he would give away his own survival as well. The batarian soldier raised his M-55 Argus assault rifle at one of the marines, opening fire. The marine's body was ripped to shreds by the powerful assault rifle, and the soldier died instantly. The other soldier saw that, and tried to move his body more quickly, in panic. The batarian then aimed at him, and shot him full of bullet holes too. The marine's body ceased to move, as his blood flowed on the ground.

John clenched his teeth together, closing his eyes in pain of seeing more of his fellow marines die from the hands of these brutal pirates, or slavers or whatever the hell they were.

The batarian jumped off the ledge, into the fountain, and walked around, still looking for any survivors. The murderous soldier kicked one marine's body, checking that he wasn't alive. After that, the batarian turned around, and left the fountain, rushing to reach his comrades.

After the batarians had left, John was brave enough to move. He started crawling on the ground, passing many of the bodies in the fountain. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, but his armor made noise whenever he crawled forwards. As he crawled over and past the many bodies, John could suddenly see another marine move a bit on the other end of the fountain. The marine saw him, and put a finger in front of his mouth.

"Shh." The older looking soldier whispered. After that, he grabbed an M-96 Viper sniper rifle from the ground next to him, and moved himself down on the ground, starting to crawl to John's right, towards the other side of the fountain.

"I need your help, friend." The older soldier said, crawling towards the other end of the fountain. John kept quiet, crawling after the soldier.

"Do as I say… and we can have vengeance on this slaughter." The soldier said. John continued being quiet, following the more experienced soldier.

After a moment, they reached their destination. The soldier moved himself to sit on the ground, leaning his back against the fountain's wall. John moved to sit next to him, leaving a broken gap of the fountain's wall between them.

"I injured my hand in the battle, which means I can't aim my rifle anymore…" The man explained, showing his bloodied left hand to John. After that, he handed the sniper rifle to John.

"Take my rifle, and watch through the gap… put those two batarians in your scope." The soldier said, pointing through the gap, towards a gunship wreckage a distance away. John looked at the rifle, a bit uneasy.

"I've… never used a sniper rifle before." He said quietly. The older man put his hand on the rifle's muzzle, pushing it down to lean on the gap, pointed towards the wreckage.

"I will guide you, my friend." The soldier assured. John nodded his head quietly, placing himself to lie on the ground, looking through the rifle's scope.

"Being a sniper is like being a normal hunter… the difference between hunting an animal and a sentient being is just that the sentient ones can kill you all the same as you can kill them." The man told. John looked through the scope, seeing the two batarian soldiers talking and smoking cigarettes by the downed A-61 gunship.

"Timing is your greatest friend, and enemy. Fire at the wrong time, and your chances of survival go down tremendously, but fire at the correct time, and your enemies will never know who or what hit them." The man explained, placing his hand on John's shoulder, making him ease his muscles.

"Patience and relaxation are essential to your success, friend. Take deep breaths, and calm yourself, your target will never get away, as long as you keep your mind cool, and your nerves colder." The soldier explained more, looking through the gap, at the batarians.

"Sniping was a form of art centuries ago. Snipers were the apex predators on the battlefield, able to change the tide of battle in moments. Such legends as the 'White Death' Simo Häyhä, and Vasily Zaytsev, both that killed hundreds of their enemies are the pinnacle of what it is to be a sniper." The man told, his eyes filled with admiration of those old legends. John nodded his head, taking a quick glance at his companion, noticing a Norwegian flag on his battered armor.

"You're Norwegian?" John inquired. The man smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Yes, I'm Han Fredriksen, formerly part of the Norwegian rangers, back on Earth. Such a position was glorious; to be able to act as a hunter in a cold winter's grasp was great." The man said, remembering his old days before the Alliance. John nodded, continuing to look at his batarian targets through the scope.

"I'm John Shepard, from Philadelphia…" John introduced himself. Han nodded his head, and looked through the gap, placing his hand on John's shoulder.

"Alright, Shepard… wait until their fighters fly above us again, and then take the shot, the sound of those old batarian fighter jets will take away the sound of your shots." Han instructed.

John looked through the scope, placing one of the two batarians in his crosshair, waiting for the moment to strike. He heard a sound of approaching jets, and watched to the sky for a moment, noticing to batarian fighters flying just above them. As the sound caught up to the jets, John looked through the scope, and took his shot. The batarian's head exploded, his brain matter and blood spraying on the wrecked A-61. The other batarian dropped his cigarette, raising his weapon in panic. But before the other batarian could react further, John shot him too; piercing the batarian's head with devastating effect.

After the batarians had fallen to the ground, Han laughed quietly, patting John on his shoulder.

"Excellent aim, my friend! You're a natural hunter." The older soldier said, smiling while looking at the kill John had done. After a few moments, the two soldiers suddenly saw a Kodiak shuttle, used by the batarians; fly over them, landing nearby. Han looked around, and grabbed an M-9 Tempest submachine gun from the ground.

"Time to move in for another kill, Shepard. That shuttle brought their leader right to us." Han stated, starting to move off the fountain. John followed his new comrade.

"How do you know?" He asked the older man. Han huffed a little, as he vaulted over the edge of the fountain, starting to move low, towards the shuttle landing area.

"As a sniper, you learn to pay special attention to your surroundings, Shepard. That shuttle was too 'fancy' for regular pirate grunts like these; it had to be the personal shuttle of their leader. Trust me." Han explained, continuing to crouch walk through the ruined parts of Illyria's center.

After a few minutes, the pair of Alliance marines arrived at an elevated section in the central market district, overlooking the center of the place, where the shuttle had landed. Han directed John to prone down on an opening, overlooking directly at the market place. He himself crouched nearby, scouting ahead of the area.

The whole area was filled with dozens of batarian and vorcha troopers walking around, looting almost anything they'd find. The batarian leader was standing near his shuttle, talking to a couple of his subordinates.

"Alright, Shepard. See the batarian leader there? He's your target." Han ordered, looking at the area in front of them. John placed the sniper rifle on the ground, looking through the scope of it, placing the batarian leader in his crosshairs.

"Okay, now… we'll do it like this; I will go down there, and create a distraction. As the soldiers are busy on attacking me, you'll take out their leader." Han suggested. After that, John raised his eyebrow, looking at the older soldier.

"What kind of a distraction?" He asked, being a bit suspicious. Han didn't look at him; instead he was still staring at the area in front of the older man.

"Don't worry about that, my friend. Just be ready to take the shot, when I raise my right hand like this." Han instructed, raising his right hand as a demonstration. John nodded in acknowledgment. After that, Han checked his submachine gun's ammo, and started to make his way down. John interrupted him though.

"Wait, Han. Can you answer one question..?" He asked. The older soldier stopped, looking at him.

"Why didn't you stay in Norway? I thought you said being a ranger was the best thing you had experienced?" John asked curiously. Han smiled slightly, nodding his head, clearly in his own thoughts. He then glanced at the young sergeant.

"Let's just say some things make it hard to stay at the place you once called home, Shepard." Han said mysteriously. After that, the older soldier jumped down from the ledge, immediately rushing to cover, preparing for a surprise attack.

John in the meanwhile overlooked what Han was doing, in his covered position. Han, waited for a moment, before suddenly rushing away from his cover, towards the batarians and vorcha, spraying his submachine gun at them.

Before they even knew what was going on, Han was able to take down a couple of batarians and vorcha, in his assault. His advantage turned the other way around really quickly though, as the batarians reacted. Han stopped running, and continued shooting at the enemy, but in a couple of seconds, the batarians had counterattacked, and shot him many times. Han fell down on the ground, not moving at all.

John tried his very best not to give away his position, and go help his comrade. He didn't even know if Han was still alive, let alone capable of signaling him, when to take the shot. Most of the batarians and vorcha in the area approached Han's immobile body.

"Make sure the human is dead." The batarian captain shouted from his position.

As the soldiers were right around Han, John noticed him raising his right hand, giving the signal. Without hesitation, John looked through the scope, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

The shot was accurate, piercing the batarian captain's head, spraying his brains out of the back of his head. As the other soldiers looked at their dead captain, being dumbfounded by what had just happened; Han suddenly grabbed a frag grenade from his belt, activating it. One of the batarians saw that.

"Grenade!" The soldier yelled, but he was too late.

Including the grenade in his hand, all the other ones in Han's belt detonated too, engulfing the surprised batarians and vorcha in a sea of flames. After the explosion died, the surrounding area was just a black, smoking crater. John couldn't hold himself anymore.

"Han!" He yelled, as he just had witnessed his new-found mentor killing himself with a dozen of batarians and vorcha.

His outcry didn't go unnoticed, as one of the batarian lieutenants saw him.

"There! Kill the sniper!" The batarian shouted at the remaining soldiers, who were still alive.

The soldiers immediately opened fire, with one vorcha raising an M-77 missile launcher, shooting it directly at John.

"Oh shit!" John exclaimed, as the projectile flew at him. In a second, John got up on his feet, and rushed away from his position, glowing blue energy forming a defensive barrier around him.

The missile exploded right behind John, throwing him violently down on the ground in front of him. Fortunately the biotic barrier absorbed most of the impact, so John was able to get up immediately, and continue running away. The batarian lieutenant was not happy with the results of his orders.

"Damn it! Go after him! Every human soldier we see is dead!" The batarian shouted angrily, making his subordinates to pick up the pace, and rush after fleeing John.

**...**

Above the orbit of Elysium, a large Alliance task force fleet was approaching the flaming city of Illyria. Captain David Anderson stood on the bridge of SSV Liverpool, an Alliance cruiser he commanded. Anderson was leading the task force to repel the batarian invaders, in cooperation with Captain Sommers, who commanded the SSV Paris. With those two cruisers, were one fighter carrier, the SSV Etna, and three Alliance frigates, SSV Peleliu, SSV Kursk and the SSV Bulge.

Anderson sat on his seat, overlooking the bridge of the Liverpool. The 49 year old Alliance captain scratched the back of his head, seemingly being worried.

"Full speed ahead! We need to get to Illyria ASAP." Anderson ordered. His bridge crew complied, increasing the speed of the war cruiser.

"Dear God, let him be alright." Anderson said quietly, hoping his protégé, John, to still be alive.

**...**

John breathed fast, covering behind the base of a statue of a Greek hoplite soldier. He had an M-15 Vindicator assault rifle in his hands, waiting to be fired. His hands were shaking; he had no idea how long it would take for the approaching enemies to figure out his hiding spot.

The remaining batarians and vorcha patrolled around in front of John, who was behind cover. The batarian lieutenant was getting impatient.

"Find him! He has to be here somewhere!" The batarian pushed his subordinates around. The batarian soldiers looked around, trying to find John, while the vorcha just huffed and puffed, and sniffed the air.

John took a deep breath, thinking that this might be his end. He squeezed the rifle in his hand, and emerged from his cover, pulling the trigger. The weapon had malfunctioned though, not firing anything. John stood there, speechlessly looking at the batarians and vorcha, who were staring at him.

After a second, John rushed back into his cover, as the enemy soldiers opened fire. The incoming bullets ripped the statue full of holes, pinning John down where he stood. He threw the defective rifle away, frustratingly thinking of options.

The batarian lieutenant ordered his men to cease fire.

"You're wasting ammo, just go there and finish him off!" The lieutenant ordered. After that, all the soldiers started to advance towards John's cover, their guns at the ready to shoot.

John squeezed his hands into fists, blue energy starting to form around him. He had only one chance, one choice, one option.

As the batarians and vorcha approached the statue, suddenly John emerged from behind the statue again, the blue energy engulfing his entire body. Before the enemy could open fire, John released all the power and energy he could, forming a huge wave of dark energy shooting out of him.

The wave of destructive energy tore the batarians and vorcha apart, tearing their skin off their bones, vaporizing their organs inside. The batarian lieutenant met the same fate, his body torn to shreds by John's powerful biotic attack.

After that exhausting attack, John panted heavily, dropping on his knees. He had used all his energy in that one biotic attack, and now he felt like fainting.

Before he could even catch his breath, an A-61 Mantis gunship appeared in front of him, having its spotlight pointed towards the exhausted soldier.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me…" John said weakly, not believing his bad luck.

The tired soldier spread his arms wide, accepting his defeat, and waiting for the gunship to open fire. Having his eyes closed, John got surprised why he didn't feel anything, when he heard the sound of machineguns firing. As he opened his eyes, John saw the gunship twirl around out of control, three Alliance fighters flying over it.

The gunship crashed soon, and John could only look in surprise, as dozens of Alliance fighters descended on the city, attacking the batarian targets in sight. Many Alliance gunships and Kodiak shuttles also appeared, flying to different parts of the city. Lastly John could see several Alliance warships opening fire on the batarian pirate's frigates, destroying them in a manner of seconds.

John sat down, watching the skies, as the Alliance vessels slowly descended towards the city of Illyria, eliminating the batarian resistance. He sighed in relief; he had survived this fight, and would live to tell about it.

John wiped his dirty forehead, taking a deep breath. He was too exhausted to do anything, and not long after that, he fainted, his vision turning black and empty.

**Seven hours later…**

John opened his eyes slowly, still being tired and weak. A bright light blinded his eyes, making him close them tightly, before slowly opening them again. As he looked around, John could see he was in a medical wing on some Alliance ship; he could see the empty void of space outside of a window.

As John looked to the other direction, he could see Anderson walking towards him, wearing his clean captain's uniform. His guardian smiled, as he walked next to John's bed.

"Hi there, John. Feelin' alright?" Anderson asked, smiling. John sighed quietly, taking a deep breath.

"Truth to be told; I'm lucky to lay on this bed right now… it was a slaughter down there." John explained. Anderson nodded his head quietly, sitting down on a chair laid next to the bed.

"Yes… it wasn't a pretty sight. Illyria got decimated by the attack." Anderson said quietly. John sighed again, closing his eyes.

"I lost my entire squad… Jefferson, Maline, Westen, Jensen, and Kubica… all good men… now gone." He said quietly, sighing and masking his face with his hands. Anderson placed his hand on John's shoulder, understanding the young sergeant's pain.

"I know it's hard, John… I've been there. You never get used to losing your men and women; it shapes you as an officer every time it happens. But, John… we have no other choice than try to move on, and give our fallen brothers and sisters peace they deserve. They're in a better place now, John… even though I know you don't believe in such things." Anderson comforted, smiling slightly at his protégé and ward. John sighed deeply, and then nodded his head, returning a small smile to his former guardian.

"Well, John… I hope this one surprise will make you feel a bit better." Anderson stated, getting up from the chair, and walking a bit away, signaling someone to come over.

John raised his eyebrow, not knowing what to expect. Then his eyes widened, as he saw his sister, Jane, walk to Anderson. Jane wore an Alliance officer uniform, being trained in the Alliance Intelligence forces. She had dyed a couple of strands of her black hair red. John couldn't believe his eyes, as he saw his dear sister approach him, smiling widely.

"Johnny." Jane said happily, as she embraced her brother tightly. John's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh Jane… I almost didn't make it… I'm so sorry…" John said, tears rolling down his cheeks. Jane shook her head, and wiped the tears off her brother cheeks, and kissed his forehead.

"No, Johnny… don't be sorry. No one could've known this would happen. I'm just so grateful you're still here with me." Jane said, tightly pressing her brother against her again.

Anderson smiled; as he saw the siblings reunite. They hadn't seen each other for almost a year, as John had been sent for tours of duty around Alliance space.

John and Jane continued to embrace each other, not wanting to let each other go for a while. Now John really was thankful for surviving; he couldn't fathom the thought of not coming back for his beloved sister. Even though he didn't believe in such things as Gods and spirits; he prayed that he wouldn't ever have to leave Jane alone in this Galaxy.

****Okay, so here's chapter three for you guys!**

**So, one of the biggest changes of course is, that Skyllian Blitz is a widespread armed conflict in my story, rather than a single attack on Elysium in the game.**

**Some of you have probably also wondered, why I use ME3 era weapons already. The reason is that in my story those weapons have already been introduced, and that they use limited ammunition, not cooling down, or changeable thermal clips. I always found that a bit silly in the games.**

**If you're a sharp fellow, you can probably notice the introduction of the chapter is inspired from Call of Duty: World at War's first Soviet mission; Vendetta, which in turn was inspired from the movie Enemy at the Gates. **

**Also, I originally thought of using the title "Lion of Elysium" as the chapter title for this, as well as one of Shepard's aliases, but I thought that enough people have used it already, first one being InHarmsWay/Harms1, I believe, so I give credit to him for creating the title. Unless he wasn't, which makes me a dumbass. But, instead of that, I decided to use "Avenger of Elysium" as the title, and as the alias. **

**And also, if you guys want to see John's training and living during the five years, which I jumped over now, just let me know in the reviews or PM's, and I'll include some scenes of them as flashbacks, later in the story.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and please do give me those reviews. It helps me keep track of which you like, and dislike. I only aim to please you, my dear readers. Have fun!****


	5. Chapter 4: The Siege of Torfan

**Chapter 4: The Siege of Torfan**

A sudden bump in the ground made an M21 Roosevelt armored transport car jump a bit, rocking the inside of the APC. John opened his eyes, as the transport's suspensions took the sudden hit from the bump. The 23 year old Alliance soldier looked around the cabin, seeing his subordinates sitting around him.

It had been a year after the attack on Elysium. John had been awarded a Medal of Honor, as well as the Star of Terra, one of the most distinguished medals awarded to Alliance soldiers. John had no idea why he was awarded either medal, he had not done anything heroic, but the Alliance thought differently. John was the only survivor in the Alliance forces that faced off the batarian attack on Illyria.

After Elysium, John had taken part in a small retaliation attack on a batarian pirate base, located on a small space port in the Attican Traverse. After that battle, John had been offered a surprising, and amazing opportunity; he had been offered to join the ranks of N7 soldiers. Such an offer had taken John by a surprise; had he never even thought of being asked for such a tremendous honor. John did think to himself, that Anderson had something to do with the surprising offer.

For the next several months, John had spent all his time in N7 training, which exceeded everything he had ever done before. But through hard work and devoted commitment, John had survived with perfect grades, putting many other N7 recruits to shame.

After passing the demanding training, John had been appointed as second in command in an elite squad of Alliance N7 soldiers, who were tasked to do raids on several batarian pirate ships, and bases.

Now they were on Torfan, a small barren world, believed to be the main stronghold for the batarian pirates, who had harassed human and turian colonies for a year. The Alliance forces had been there for a day already, but John's squad of N7 elites was called in for help, since the Alliance had problems finishing off the batarian forces.

As John looked around the cabin of the transport, one of his squadmates; Drew Tyler, spoke up.

"You a bit distracted there, lieutenant?" The Afro-American N7 soldier asked. John looked at his subordinate, sharing a slight smile.

"Nothing to get worried about, corporal" John answered. With that, Drew nodded his head, and looked away. The N7 soldier sitting next to Drew; Charlie McKnight, scratched the back of his head.

"Man, I dunno... this mission just doesn't feel right." The white light brown haired soldier stated. Drew nudged his companion's shoulder.

"C'mon, dude. This'll be just another mission we've done a dozen times." The young corporal assured, patting his comrade's shoulder.

The soldier sitting next to John, a Canadian; Kaidan Alenko, nudged his commanding officer's shoulder, getting John's attention.

"You think they're not telling everything to us, John?" Kaidan asked. John shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Kaidan… but this definitely is not going to be a regular mission, I think…" John said.

John and Kaidan had known each other for a long time, having had met in the training school for biotic humans, over five years ago. The two men had formed a companionship during the training, helping each other out in many things. After training in biotics, John and Kaidan had went on separate ways, Kaidan seeking to train his biotic and tech abilities further, while John joined the regular Alliance marines.

When John had joined the N7 program, he had met Kaidan again, the Canadian soldier having had been made the same offer to join the prestigious elite forces. The two friends had luck, when they were appointed to the same squad.

The transport car came to a halt, signaling the squad inside that they had arrived to their destination. The backdoors of the transport vehicle opened, letting the squad to exit the car, and step outside to the rocky and dusty ground of Torfan's terrain.

As the four man squad exited the transport, setting their feet on the ground, John took point, and signaled his men to follow him. The squad headed towards a nearby M6 Lincoln main battle tank, where Captain Anderson and General Hawkings were waiting.

The M6 Lincoln was one of the last tracked vehicles still used by human militaries. It looked like a combination of the M1 Abrams tank, used by the US in the 20th and 21th century, and the British Chieftain tank, used in the 20th century. The tank was widely used by Earth's militaries, since it was very fast, and effective in combat.

A bit of a distance away from the tank, were stationed the Alliance artillery positions, with several M899 howitzers, firing on the batarian stronghold ahead. John walked to Captain Anderson and General Hawkings, his squad following him closely.

"Lieutenant Shepard. Good to see you well and kicking." General Hawkings greeted, shaking John's hand. Anderson smiled and also shook his hand.

"Good to see you, John." Anderson said friendly, John smiling back at him.

"Good to see you too, sir." John said, after which Anderson let out a quiet laugh.

"Now now, John… you don't have the permission to call me "sir"." Anderson said, nudging his former ward's shoulder.

"Alright then, Anderson" John answered, laughing a bit. After that, the general spoke up again.

"Okay, gentlemen, if you care to look over in that direction, you'll see why we have called you here." General Hawkings said, pointing towards the batarian stronghold in the distance, being surrounded by a blue energy shield, which looked like it was straight from a sci-fi movie like Star Wars or Star Trek. McKnight almost choked on his own swallow, as he saw the stronghold.

"That's our objective?" The young N7 soldier asked. Hawkings nodded his head.

"That's right, we haven't been able to penetrate that shield, even though we've pounded it with our howitzers for the past day." The general explained. Anderson nodded.

"You will need to infiltrate the compound, and bring down the shield, after which we'll commence the attack." Anderson said. John couldn't help but raise his eyebrow, as he watched how the artillery shells were absorbed by the powerful ray shield.

After that, a Kodiak shuttle suddenly approached them in the air, quickly landing near them. The shuttle's doors opened, after which another N7 operative, in a different kind of armor, stepped outside.

"You guys ready to rock?" The N7 soldier asked.

The soldier was John's squad leader, Commander Kai Leng, from the N7 Blade Division. The Blade Division was a special division formed in the N7 ranks, to train a few selected N7 operatives in the ancient ways of Japanese and Chinese swordplay, as well as martial arts. Kai Leng was one of the few selected N7 soldiers that were offered to join in the specialized training course. After graduating, Leng had became one of the most well trained and experienced N7 operatives, skilled in many martial arts, as well as the handling of the iconic Japanese sword, the Katana.

Leng approached his squad, shaking hands with John.

"Hope you're ready for some sneaking, Shepard." Leng said to his lieutenant. John smirked a little, and nodded his head.

"You can bet on it, Commander." He answered. Leng nodded and patted John's shoulder, turning his attention to Anderson and Hawkings.

"Commander Leng reporting for duty, sirs!" Leng said, saluting both of his superiors. Both Anderson and Hawkings nodded; the General then shaking hands with the Asian commander.

"Good to have you with us, Commander. This mission is dangerous, so your men will have to be vigilant and ready for anything." Hawkings said. Leng nodded, smirking lightly.

"My squad is the best damn squad in the N7; we'll get the job done." Leng boasted, being sure of his squad's skills. Anderson cut in.

"You don't have much time, and be very careful in there, you won't have any reinforcements. " The captain told. Leng nodded in acknowledgement, then turning to his squad.

"Alright, Havoc squad, move out!" Leng ordered, signaling his squadmates to board the shuttle.

The five elite soldiers boarded the Kodiak shuttle, sitting on the cabin's seats. The shuttle closed its doors, and immediately turned on its repulsion engines, making the military shuttle ascend vertically in the air, after which the back engines of the shuttle came to life, and pushed the shuttle forwards.

As the shuttle flew above them, towards the batarian stronghold, Anderson and Hawkings shared a glance.

"They'll be okay, Anderson… they're experienced." Hawkings assured. Anderson, who had seen John get into danger earlier already, wasn't as sure.

"Let's hope so…" The 50 year old Alliance captain said quietly, watching the shuttle flying towards the infiltration landing zone.

**20 minutes later… **

The Havoc squad had arrived at their destination; the outskirts of the batarian stronghold. Commander Leng escorted his squad to a seemingly abandoned backdoor of the compound.

"Alright, this entrance should be abandoned, and not shielded." Leng said, approaching the door, and activating it, sliding the old dusty door open.

"Kinda weird for batarians just to leave an entrance unprotected like this, while the rest of the stronghold is heavily shielded." McKnight wondered, looking around the place, his M-15 Vindicator assault rifle ready.

"Dude, batarians are dumb as fuck… no wonder they'd forget about something like this." Tyler said, cocking his M-23 Katana shotgun.

John too wondered how the batarians could be so careless. He smelled something wrong with this. As the five-man squad entered the compound, the immediately noticed that the entrance was indeed abandoned, since there wasn't anything around but junk and discarded junk.

After walking inside the empty hallways of the abandoned entryway, the Havoc squad came across many empty jail cells, which were assumingly used to house prisoners the batarian pirates would've captured.

After a couple of moments the squad arrived to a larger room, being empty, as expected. The room had a little hallway with two closed airlocks. Leng walked to the first one, opening it, and signaling John and the rest of the squad to follow.

As John and Kaidan walked in the hallway, both of the airlocks suddenly sealed themselves off. Now John and Kaidan were trapped inside the small hallway, while Leng was on the other side of the second airlock, and McKnight and Tyler in the large room still.

As Leng banged on the airlock, John tried to look for consoles that would open the sealed doors. Suddenly a sound of a loudspeaker turning on got the soldiers' attention.

"Humans! Welcome to your doom!" A batarian voice declared, a little too cheery.

"Oh great…" Kaidan said quietly. John raised his eyebrows, looking at the loudspeaker. Tyler and McKnight moved around the large room, looking for ways to exit, but the hallway they had arrived from was sealed shut too.

"You thought we wouldn't see you barging into our home? You think us batarians idiots, while it's you humans, who lack common sense!" The batarian said through the loudspeaker.

John and Kaidan glanced at each other, not sure what to make of this situation.

"How we'll get out of this, John?" Kaidan asked, looking at the lieutenant. John shook his head.

"I have no idea, sergeant…" John answered, looking through the airlock window to the room where McKnight and Tyler were still figuring out a way out.

"Now you have walked into our trap, humans! You two in the lobby will be excellent test subjects for our new weapon!" The batarian declared ominously. John didn't like the sound of that.

Suddenly two hatches opened on the walls in the large room. Tyler and McKnight got ready, but neither of them would've been prepared to see what came next.

A startling sound of growling and howling was heard inside the dark shafts, and from them, creeped out several monsters. The monstrous things were batarians, but changed; they had countless mechanical parts added into them, their skin was pale and drained, their four eyes glowing blue. It looked like all of the meat around their bones had been removed, replaced by tubes and other synthetic parts surrounding their bones. They quite literally were husks of their former bodies.

"What the fuck?!" Tyler exclaimed, as he saw the batarian monsters approach him and McKnight.

McKnight raised his rifle, and started spraying bullets at the husks in panic, not doing much damage. The husks charged at the two human soldiers, trying to rip the soldiers to shreds with their claws.

John and Kaidan looked in horror through the window. Tyler shot a batarian husk with his shotgun, completely blowing of the monster's head. For the next moments, the two N7 soldiers shot all of their ammunition at the advancing monsters, but after one died, two more appeared from the shaft. The two humans were soon overrun by the husks.

McKnight tried to fight his way to the airlock, but was grabbed by two husks. One of the monsters opened its gaping mouth, and sunk its teeth into McKnight's neck. As the young human screamed in agony and fear, a dozen of the monsters overwhelmed him, and ripped his armor apart.

John and Kaidan looked in horror as their comrade was ripped to pieces by the monsters. Tyler continued fighting off the husks, but one of them jumped on his back, grabbing the human's head, and sinking its teeth into his face. Other husks quickly grabbed Tyler as well, and the corporal was also eaten alive.

John banged on the airlock in agony and anger.

"No! No! God damn it!" John shouted, punching the door with his fist. Kaidan grabbed his shoulder.

"John, we need to get out of here!" Kaidan shouted, trying to pull John away from the door. Leng looked around the room he was in, hastily trying to contain the situation.

"Fuck! Okay, Alenko and Shepard! Try to get here, I'll go and find the bastard who did this!" Leng shouted behind the door, and after that, quickly rushed away through the hallway behind him, drawing his sword from the sheath on his back.

John clenched his hands into fists, and ragingly punched the wall next to him with a biotic force. The punch revealed circuit boards and other cords in the wall, which miraculously opened the other airlock. As Kaidan saw the door opening, he grabbed John's arm.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Kaidan yelled, pulling his companion with him.

John hated himself for doing so, but he had no other choice, but to run away from the deathtrap with his comrade. The two soldiers ran to the same hallway their commander had gone just a minute ago. His two subordinates were gone, he couldn't change it… but he could avenge their gruesome death.

John and Kaidan ran in the many hallways of the enemy stronghold, seeing many recently killed batarian soldiers, lying dead on the floor. Their bodies had many stab wounds on them, so clearly Leng had been doing the killing.

After few moments, the two Alliance soldiers arrived in another large room, having two separate hallways in it. As John and Kaidan looked around, trying to figure out which way to go, John's omni-tool beeped, signaling him that someone was calling. John activated the holographic tool, and saw that Leng tried to contact him.

"Shepard, Leng here. I'm chasing the batarian leader through the compound; he won't get away from me. You and Alenko go through the left hallway; it'll lead to the central war room, the other batarian leaders must be there. Go there and finish them off, I'm sure the shield generator is there too. Leng out, good luck!" Leng told through the holographic multi tool.

"Copy that." John answered, closing the omni-tool. After that, the lieutenant looked at his comrade.

"Come on, Kaidan. Let's go knock the shield off." John ordered. Kaidan nodded his head in acknowledgment, and started following John, who ran into the left hallway.

**...**

Kai Leng ran behind a batarian soldier, who ominously ran towards a dead end. Leng had no idea what the batarian was trying, but whatever the four-eyed alien had in mind, the Asian N7 elite could adapt.

As the batarian ran to the dead end, he stopped. Leng stopped a bit of a distance away from him, drawing his sword.

"End of the line, scum." Leng remarked angrily. The batarian laughed, and turned to face his human adversary.

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you? But in truth, human… you've walked right into my trap." The batarian said, smirking deviously. Leng raised his eyebrow, and readied himself.

Suddenly dozens of strands of lightning shot out of the walls around Leng, shocking his whole body. Not being able to do anything, Leng was quickly incapacitated, falling on the ground, unconscious.

The batarian soldier walked over to his fallen enemy, laughing quietly.

"Such idiocy…" The batarian said, looking at the incapacitated N7 soldier.

**...**

John and Kaidan arrived to the central war room, their N7 Valkyrie assault rifles ready. The two human soldiers ran in, immediately aiming their weapons at the batarian soldier right in front of them, who was standing in front of a console. They quickly noticed being surrounded by five other batarians, aiming their weapons at the two N7 elites.

The situation was an impasse, for John and Kaidan, as well as the batarians; no one was shooting, just pointing their guns at each other. The batarian soldier right in front of the two humans lifted his head, looking at his enemies, holding his hands behind his back.

"Well… I didn't think you'd get this far… though I suppose the sword loving fellow pretty much cleared the way for you." The batarian leader said. John and Kaidan glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"How did you like our demonstration?" The batarian asked. That got John boiling with anger.

"What the hell were those things!?" John demanded. The batarian leader smirked, and moved aside, revealing an odd looking synthetic artifact behind him.

"A gift from this item we uncovered here." The batarian explained, presenting the artifact to the two humans.

The artifact was shaped oddly, beating blue energy out of it. John couldn't help but glue his eyes on it, every time the blue energy pulse happened. What was that device? And where did it come from?

"What is that?" Kaidan asked, looking at the artifact. The batarian shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? Who cares? The main point is that it has given us power beyond our imagination… power which you've partially seen already." The batarian said. John growled quietly.

"Who are you even? Are you the leader of the batarian pirates who attacked Elysium?" John asked demandingly. The batarian smiled deviously.

"I am Harto'hie Molak. Former General in the Batarian Hegemony's armed forces, currently unemployed… or… kind of." Molak said, laughing a bit. John sighed in frustration.

"Do you have any idea how many humans have died because of this conflict?" He asked angrily. Molak laughed, and shook his head.

"Clearly not enough, since you humans still crawl around this galaxy!" Molak said, his eyes filled with hatred towards humanity. As John was about to shoot back at the batarian, the mysterious artifact began to pulsate more rapidly. That drew the attention of John and Kaidan, as well as all of the batarians. Molak turned to the artifact.

"Well, looky here! It seems like our benefactors don't like this interruption you've done." Molak stated. John and Kaidan glanced at each other again, both thinking what the batarian meant with "benefactors".

As Molak turned back to look at the artifact, it suddenly shot out a huge wave of blue energy, which blinded everyone in the room.

As John staggered from the shot off energy, he saw terrifying images of destruction and slaughter in his mind. He couldn't make out what the images where about, but he could definitely tell they were about horrible things.

As John opened his eyes, he and Kaidan were on their knees, not sure what had just happened. All the batarians except Molak were kneeling too, being overwhelmed by the energy that shot at them.

Molak turned at the two human soldiers, raising his arms.

"Did you see it, humans? Our benefactors will bring justice to this galaxy, and wipe you from the face of it!" Molak stated loudly. John and Kaidan stood up, and again raised their weapons, but now both aiming at Molak. The batarian leader could only smile in an evil manner.

"Such defiance, almost batarian…" Molak said, smirking at the two humans.

Before John and Kaidan could do anything, the mysterious artifact pulsated again, but this time affecting only Molak. The batarian started twisting violently, his body beginning to smoke. The batarians blood veins lit on fire, engulfing Molak's whole body in flames. The batarian yelled in agony, a yellow glow surrounding him. John and Kaidan looked in horror as the batarian leader exploded into flames.

After a few seconds, John opened his eyes again. As John and Kaidan both looked at Molak again, they could only open their mouth in disbelief. Molak was standing at one place, his eyes closed, and his whole body smoking from the flames earlier.

The batarian opened his four eyes, which were now glowing brightly in yellow. John and Kaidan both raised their eyebrows. The batarian soldiers beside Molak seemed to be dumbfounded and in fear as well. Molak smiled deviously, his eyes glowing yellow.

**"What a disappointment, this one… I expected more from him"** Molak said in a low metallic, almost demonic voice. John could immediately tell that Molak wasn't himself anymore.

**"Two humans… a recent and surprising addition to the galactic community."** Molak said in the metallic voice. Kaidan breathed faster.

"I don't like this at all, John…" He said quietly. John couldn't help but agree, this definitely wasn't something he was prepared for.

**"Curious to see you humans rise up in the galactic society… I do believe you are an extraordinary race… such defiance."** Molak said, his yellow eyes glowing brighter. John swallowed quietly.

"Who are you..?" He asked carefully. Molak smiled a bit.

**"That is a question you'll have an answer for soon enough…"** The changed batarian said in the demonic voice.

Before John could say anything more, Molak turned around, looking at the artifact.

**"Surprising that the batarians found this… I would've hoped someone more… civilized founded it… but… nevertheless, they were useful… for a time."** The possessed batarian explained. Kaidan was losing his nerves, pointing his assault rifle at Molak.

"Just tell us who you are!" The young human demanded; his finger ready on the trigger. Molak smirked, and spread his arms wide.

**"Behold the true power we hold."** The batarian said, smirking deviously.

Suddenly the artifact sprung to life again, pulsating blue energy around. Out of nowhere, several light beams shot out of the artifact, impaling all of the batarian soldiers in the room. All the unsuspecting batarians fell over dead on the floor, smoke coming out of their charred chests, after the beam of light vanished.

John and Kaidan looked around, being dumbfounded of what just had happened. Molak stood there, looking at the two humans with his yellow glowing eyes.

**"That is true power, right there… and we hold it."** Molak said, in the metallic voice.

John and Kaidan quickly glanced at each other, and nodded. After that, the two N7 soldiers aimed their rifles at the possessed batarian and opened fire. The bullets pierced Molak's body, spewing out fire. The bullets which went straight through the batarian, hit the artifact behind him, making it pulsate uncontrollably.

**"Such arrogance…"** Molak said, as the bullets did nothing to him.

John and Kaidan ceased their fire, as they saw it did nothing to their enemy. But before they could think of another strategy, the artifact began to behave oddly. Molak smiled deviously, as the artifact suddenly exploded behind him, engulfing the batarian's body in the shockwave. John and Kaidan got hit by the explosion too, both immediately losing their consciousness.

**...**

Outside the compound, the Alliance forces had closed in. Anderson stood by a squad of marines, being backed by a dozen M6 Lincolns, as well as many M35 Makos.

Suddenly the persistent ray shield disappeared, as the apparent command centre in the stronghold building exploded. After Anderson saw that, the commlink from the comm. specialist in the nearby squad sprung to life.

"The shield is down! Begin the attack!" General Hawkings' voice shouted. Anderson nodded, and signaled the armored battalion to advance.

"All forces! Attack!" The veteran soldier yelled.

After that, the entire Alliance force began their attack. The tanks opened fire with their powerful cannons, the infantry ran fast towards the stronghold's perimeter, their rifles and other weapons at the ready. Anderson charged in with the rest of the soldiers, his trustful M-6 Carnifex heavy pistol at the ready.

**15 minutes later…**

John opened his eyes slowly, feeling pain in his back. He could hear sounds of gunfire coming nearby, as well as many sounds of explosions, which also shook the ground a bit.

He looked around, coughing a bit of dust from his mouth. John saw Kaidan lying near him, under some rubble. The whole war room had exploded and collapsed. John also noticed that he had a piece of rubble holding him down on the ground by his left leg.

As he tried to move, John could hear footsteps behind him. The young human looked to that direction, seeing a batarian stand near him, an M-77 Paladin pistol pointed straight to his head.

"Survived your little game, did you?" The batarian asked, pointing his gun at John. Before John could say anything, the batarian spoke up again.

"You humans are such a disappointment… that other soldier didn't offer any challenge either…" The batarian said. John clenched his teeth together; that batarian must've defeated Leng earlier.

As the batarian moved his finger on the pistol's trigger, smirking, his head suddenly exploded into bloody pieces. John gasped, as the batarian violently fell on the floor, dead.

After a second, John opened his eyes, seeing Anderson walk calmly to him, his M-6 Carnifex's barrel smoking. The 50 year old man crouched over to him, offering his hand.

"John, are you alright?" Anderson asked worriedly, grabbing John's hand, and pulling him out of the rubble.

"Yeah… yeah… I'm okay." John assured, taking a deep breath. After that, he looked at Kaidan, who lied on the floor unconscious. Anderson signaled a couple of marines to help Kaidan out of the rubble, and then carry him away to a med-evac.

After that, the veteran soldier patted John's shoulder.

"Okay, John… let's get out of here." Anderson said. John halted him, though.

"Wait… did you find Commander Leng anywhere?" He asked. Anderson shook his head.

"No, we've searched this whole compound for anything, and there hasn't been any trace of Kai Leng… we can only assume he's either K.I.A or M.I.A." Anderson explained. John nodded quietly.

"I see… McKnight and Tyler died too… to those… things" John said quietly. Anderson nodded.

"Yeah… we saw them too… horrible monsters, I have no idea how the batarians got a hold of this kind of technology… I've never seen it before." Anderson wondered quietly. John agreed, nodding, though not exactly wanting to know.

Anderson placed his hand on John's shoulder, and started to escort him out of the stronghold. John sighed deeply, thinking how brutal this battle had been, and also how terrifying the encounter with the unknown enemy had been.

**Two days later…**

John walked on an empty hallway on the SSV Liverpool, cruising slowly with the rest of the Alliance 4th fleet, in the Sol system. As he walked, John could see through the window the barren planet Saturn go slowly by the ship, its rings shaped perfectly circular.

John walked to a closed door, activating the console beside it, which opened the door. As he walked in, John saw Kaidan sitting on a medical bed, his left arm wrapped in bandages.

"Hey there, Staff Sergeant… feelin' ok?" John asked his comrade, sitting beside Kaidan on a chair. Kaidan nodded, smiling.

"Sure, John… a little explosion won't take me down." The human sergeant answered. John tapped Kaidan's shoulder.

"Glad to hear it, Kaidan." He said, sharing a friendly smile with his squadmate.

After a few short moments, Kaidan shared a rather worried look with John.

"Did you see anything… when that strange artifact shot out its energy?" Kaidan asked, looking uncomfortable. John nodded slowly.

"Yes… I saw… something horrible… I don't know what, but I know it was terrible." He answered, looking down a bit. Kaidan nodded.

"Yeah… I saw something like that too… what in the world was it even?" The sergeant asked. John shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know… but nothing good, that's for sure…" John said quietly, trying to figure out what the mysterious artifact was, that possessed Molak.

The two soldiers then stayed quiet, pondering over the things they experienced on Torfan, which marked the end of the Skyllian Blitz.

****Okay, so here's chapter five!**

**So, you noticed both Kaidan and Kai Leng were in this. I decided to change Kaidan's background, so that he and John could have a bigger history together, since I like to think they'd be old friends during ME1. **

**I made Kai Leng a specialist, a veteran, and a confident soldier in the N7. He didn't die, obviously, but you won't hear from him for some time now. Speculate what happened to him after this. **

**Also, yes, that was Harbinger which possessed Molak. The thought of batarians possessing Reaper technology has always been kind of a center point in the ME series, especially in ME3. The batarian husks are *not* cannibals, they're more like human husks, only batarian. **

**As always, let me know in the reviews, what you thought about this chapter. Stay tuned for more soon! We're closing in on ME1!** **


	6. Chapter 5: The Normandy

**Chapter 5: The Normandy**

_26th of April, 2183. _

_The boring life on the Arcturus Station continues to make every day I live a chore. I do nothing but file a report, after report, after report. I never thought I'd miss the life of warfare; at least I did something that mattered then. _

_After the Blitz, I got transferred into Anderson's crew on the SSV Liverpool, and acted as a supervising security officer with Kaidan. An N7 soldier as a regular security officer on a ship is not quite what I signed up for._

_After seven months of work on the Liverpool, I got transferred to Arcturus. I was assigned to train new biotic recruits, and also retrain my own abilities. _

_I hear that Anderson and Admiral Hackett signed a commendation for me to be promoted to Commander. I'm not sure if being promoted to a Commander would change anything about my desk job, but a raise in the salary is always welcome. _

_About four weeks ago, I received an offer from Anderson; he asked me to join the crew of his new ship, which will finish its construction in a few weeks time. Truthfully, I never thought I'd actually get the position of executive officer on board an Alliance warship. The new ship is supposed to be cutting edge technology, a prototype of a new kind of frigate, jointly build by the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy. I haven't heard much of it, only that it's a stealth frigate, used to do top secret and high end reconnaissance missions beyond the borders of Alliance and Citadel space. _

_Other things I've had to go through, is the ship's crew list. 51 crewmembers in total; those including my friend Kaidan Alenko, acting as the Marine Detail officer on the ship. _

_Surprisingly, the selected pilot for the ship is a man named Jeff Moreau, nicknamed "Joker" by his colleagues. I've looked his files, and he apparently suffers from Vrolik's syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, which makes the patient's bones very fragile. I've yet to see this brittle-boned pilot in action, but from what I've heard, he's one of the best in the Alliance. _

_The selected Chief Engineer is Lieutenant Greg Adams. His résumé is impressive, and I'm certain he'll be a tremendous asset to the ship's crew. _

_Doctor Karin Chakwas has been selected as the ship's Chief Medical Officer. I've been in her care a couple of times during the Blitz, and she seemed to be very professional and well trained. I'll be more than happy to have her as the caretaker of the ship's crew._

_The Chief Navigator has been selected to be Lieutenant Charles Pressly, a fellow veteran of the Skyllian Blitz. Pressly served onboard the SSV Agincourt, an Alliance frigate which saw plenty of action during the war, being one of the first ships to engage against a batarian fleet near Borr, in the Exodus Cluster. _

_The remainder of the crew is mostly fresh recruit cadets and ensigns from the Alliance navy. One of the new members of my strike team is a young private by the name of Richard L. Jenkins. The kid hasn't seen any combat action yet, but I'm hoping for the best, for his sake. I'd hate to see such an enthusiastic man lose his life in the first firefight we'll have…_

After finishing that sentence, John saved his log entry, and closed off the computer. The 25 year old human soldier sighed deeply, as he placed his hands on his face. After that, John got up from his chair, and walked over to his bed.

He lived in a small apartment, at the Arcturus Station. The apartment was only two rooms plus the bathroom, including the kitchen and the living room in one room, and the other John's living quarters, having his bed and personal computer there.

John sat on his bed, turning his face to look at the night table beside the bed. On the table was a small picture in a digital frame. John took the picture in his hands, and smiled, as he saw himself holding his sister Jane in it. The picture was taken at Jane's graduation day, over a year ago. John was hugging his sister in the picture, Jane having her arms wrapped around her brother. Both of them wore Alliance uniforms, Jane also wearing the iconic Alliance officer's cap. Remembering the graduation day made John smile, and feel warmth inside him.

His daydreaming was cut short, as John heard a knock on the door of his apartment. John put the picture back on the table, and stood up from the bed, walking from the bedroom to the door. John opened the door, and saw Anderson standing outside the apartment.

"Good day, John. Doing okay?" Anderson asked, smiling widely. John laughed quietly, leaning on the door-frame.

"Well, a little action once in a while wouldn't hurt." He stated. Anderson nodded understandingly.

"I bet, John. But don't worry, as soon as my ship is finished, you'll get plenty of action again." The veteran Alliance officer assured. John nodded.

"I hope so." He said. After that, Anderson seemed to remember something.

"Oh, speaking of that… I have something to show you." Anderson said signaling John to follow him. John raised his eyebrows in curiosity, putting his shoes on, and going out of the apartment, following Anderson.

The young man quickly caught up to his former guardian, walking beside him, passing by many Alliance personnel going by their everyday business. As John looked to his right, he could see dozens of Alliance ships either approaching the station, or leaving it. Many frigates and cruisers were also halted in positions, being the Arcturus Station's defense fleet.

After walking a few minutes, John's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"So, what are you going to show me?" John asked Anderson, who continued walking calmly.

"You'll see, it's in the hangar bay." Anderson answered, smirking a bit. John could guess what the thing would be; most likely Anderson's new ship, the ship John would also work on soon.

Soon enough, the two Alliance soldiers arrived to the auxiliary hangar bay area, consisting of 20 different hangars used as dry docks for ships. Anderson walked a bit ahead, arriving at a sealed door, and swiping his Alliance ID card on a console beside it. The door opened, and Anderson signaled John to follow him in.

After he got in, John was escorted up a flight of stairs by Anderson. The two arrived in a room, having a large window overlooking one of the hangars. The hangar was unlighted, and therefore quite dark, which made John unable to see what was in there.

As John walked next to Anderson, the older soldier activated a panel beside him. The panel turned on the lights in the hangar. As soon as the large hangar was lighted, John saw what Anderson brought him to see.

It really was Anderson's new ship, that John was seeing right now. The young human's eyes widened as he looked at the frigate. John had never seen such an elegant warship. The frigate was shaped very aerodynamically, making it one of the most extraordinary looking starships the 25 year old human had ever seen. John could only open his mouth in awe, as the ship shined in front of him. The name "Normandy SR-1" was written on the hull of it.

"Woah… is that your ship?" John asked in awe. Anderson laughed quietly, tapping John's shoulder.

"Yes. The SSV Normandy, not just my ship, John, but yours too… remember who will be my XO on board it." Anderson said, smiling as he looked at his yet unfinished starship.

John could only stare at the ship, not believing he'd soon be serving on that very ship as its executive officer. He couldn't wait to be sent off to dangerous missions again, he wanted nothing more than be able to get into action again.

The two of them continued to look at the Normandy, being proud of soon serving on it.

**Two weeks later…**

The massive metal doors of hangar 12E on the Arcturus Station slowly screeched open. The dust particles parting from the doors quickly disappeared in the empty void of space. After the doors had slid aside, four powerful starship engines sprung to life, pushing air out in the vacuum outside the hangar. The Normandy's lights came to life, the whole ship turning itself on, like a complex machine.

On the ship's bridge, John was standing next to Anderson, who was overlooking the departure preparations the Normandy's pilot was making. Jeff Moreau, nicknamed Joker, pressed the dozens of holographic buttons on the ship's control console, activating different systems and programs.

"All systems are running optimal, Captain." Joker said, looking at the many holographic monitors put in front of him. Anderson nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well done, Flight Lieutenant. Undock the Normandy, and set the coordinates to 1.459/4.8977, Crescent Nebula." Anderson instructed, after which the human pilot nodded, and started working on the ship's controls.

The Normandy's engines powered up more, as the docking tube and clamps unattached themselves from the newly build frigate. The front of the engine wings powered up, and started to push the 95 meter long ship out of the large hangar. After the ship was out of the hangar, it turned around quickly; its frontal engines in the wings turning up to their normal positions, and powering down. The four engines of the frigate flashed brightly in blue light, pushing the ship forwards, its speed increasing quickly.

The technologically revolutionary warship flew past several Alliance cruisers and frigates, making the ships' crews to watch in awe, as the newest and finest Alliance ship flew past their workplaces.

Inside the ship, John stood beside Anderson, turning towards his superior officer.

"So, what's our first destination?" John asked. Anderson smiled, and placed his hand on John's shoulder.

"John, my boy… let's go see what the Galaxy has in store for us." The 52 year old Alliance captain said, smiling at his former ward. Joker chuckled quietly.

"Yeah… first thing we know the Normandy will be eaten by a giant Thresher Maw." The 24 year old human pilot said jokingly. Kaidan, who was sitting next to Joker, aiding him in controlling the ship, chirped in.

"Can it, Joker? The ship's pilot talking like that brings bad luck." The Canadian N7 operative said. Joker waved his hand in dismissal, not caring about bad omens.

"Expecting the worst is healthy, Kaidan; keeps you on your feet all the time." Joker explained, moving his hand on the holographic dashboard, swiping a few engine statistics away.

"And besides, Captain Anderson is the captain of this ship… so if he'd be the one to talk like that, it'd bring bad luck, not me." Joker continued, quickly adjusting the Alliance logoed baseball cap on his head. Anderson chuckled, and tapped the top of Joker's pilot seat.

"No Thresher Maws or batarian pirate ships will take this baby down, Joker." The captain reassured jokingly. After that, Joker leaned over to look at John.

"What do you think, Commander? Are we in danger?" The human pilot asked, smirking a bit.

John had been promoted to Commander just a week earlier, and he still had to get used to everyone calling him that. He didn't think he'd be able to reach the rank of a commander in such little time of service. John smirked back at the pilot, putting his arms on his waist.

"Only danger the Normandy has, is you breaking your arm, while hand wrestling with Kaidan, and flying the ship right into an asteroid." John said jokingly. Joker opened his mouth in surprise, laughing a bit.

"Ooohohoh! A brittle-bones joke, Commander? Oh man, I'm gonna love you." The pilot said, laughing, and turning back to his dashboard, continuing to operate the ship.

John smiled widely, he really felt like he had found his place, on board this beautiful warship. Yeah, this was his place in the galaxy.

Outside in the vacuum of space, the Normandy broke the silence by flying fast past many little rocks and meteors, coming to a clearing from the Alliance fleet, and jumping to light speed in a quick flash.

**A few days later...**

John stood up from a small hatch, located on the crew deck of the ship. He had checked the electricity cords, running beneath the floor of the deck, since the light in his sleeping pod had not been working. Being mechanically quite efficient, John was able to re-circuit the cords to also make his light work.

The 25 year old human soldier closed the service hatch, patting his hands together to disperse the dirt from them. After that, John made his way down the sleeping pod hallway, where most of the crew spent their nights in. Only Anderson had a private cabin to himself, and some of the other crewmembers lived in two small quarters, where multiple bunk beds facilitated for the servicemen and women.

As John walked to the mess area of the deck, he saw Kaidan sitting down in front of one of the tables, reading a book. John walked to his comrade, and sat down in front of him, on the opposite side of the table.

"Haven't seen one of those in a while now." John stated, pointing at the book Kaidan was reading. Books made out of paper had been in rapid decline for almost a century, digital books becoming the new standard in human society.

"Yeah, this belongs to my mom, actually. She has a large book collection at their house in Vancouver." Kaidan explained, looking at the book's covers. The book was titled "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. John assumed it was a classic.

"Is it an old book?" John asked, not been able to come across that book earlier.

"Yeah, it's almost 300 years old… though this is of course a re-published version, from 2125 I think." Kaidan said, looking at the back of the book. John nodded, placing his hands on the table in a praying looking manner.

"Is it good?" He asked. Kaidan smirked a bit, chuckling quietly.

"Well… I'm not really getting it; I guess it's too old for my comprehension." The human soldier said. John laughed a bit too.

"A familiar feeling, buddy. I can't even name all the books I've read, and not understood any of them." He said laughing. Kaidan smiled, and closed the book.

"Well, maybe I should stop reading this, before my brain boils from overworking." Kaidan said, smiling widely again. John laughed quietly.

"Probably wise." The young human commander stated.

After a moment, Kaidan looked at John.

"Wanna eat something? I can cook." He asked. John raised his eyebrows.

"You're not trying to poison me, are you?" John asked, smirking a bit. Kaidan laughed again.

"No, John. But I won't give ya any refunds, if you don't like it." John's companion said. John smiled, and stood up from the table.

"Well, in that case, I'm gonna help you out." John said, making his way over to the kitchen, Kaidan walking right behind him.

"Auh, now ain't this cute? We're like a family." Kaidan joked, John laughing as a response.

"A curious imagination you have, Lieutenant." John said, laughing quietly. Kaidan smirked cheekily.

"I try, Commander." He answered.

The two friends then began to prepare some food for each other.

**Three weeks later…**

Anderson sat on a comfortable couch, in the personal quarters of humanity's ambassador, Donnel Udina, on the Citadel. Next to him sitting was Admiral Steven Hackett, the commanding officer of the Alliance Fifth fleet. Ambassador Udina walked to the living room, sitting down opposite of Anderson, on another couch. The three men had dozens of datapad files lying on the sofa table. Udina grabbed one of the files, quickly looking through it.

"Jenna Masterson, a Staff Commander in the Mars Defense Forces. She has many commendations, and honorable mentions." Udina said, looking at the two Alliance officers.

"No, she has epilepsy. Working on missions in various locations would be dangerous for her." Admiral Hackett stated. Anderson nodded.

"Yes, we need a soldier, who is in top condition." The human captain said.

Udina nodded, placing the datapad back on the table, after which he picked another one up, looking through it.

"Well, then there's First Lieutenant Román Enfield from the Alliance French Battalion." Udina suggested, looking at the two officers again. Anderson shook his head.

"Not a chance. He executed twenty prisoners of war during the Angolan uprising in 2167." He said, crossing his arms on his chest. Hackett nodded in agreement.

"We need a strong individual, but not one who is ready to execute prisoners, or put innocents in danger." Hackett noted. Udina nodded again, placing the datapad on the table.

Suddenly the apartment's door opened, and Jane, wearing a official Alliance uniform, walked in, four more datapads in her hands. She gave the datapads to Udina, after walking to the table.

"Thank you, Jane." Anderson said, smiling at the young woman, who smiled back, and walked back towards the front door. Jane stopped near the door, and leaned on the wall, looking at the conversation. Udina placed the datapads on the table, taking one of them, and looking through it.

"Well, what about Commander John Shepard? He's Earthborn, though orphaned at a young age. He joined the Alliance when he turned 18, after being in your guardianship for a year, Anderson." Udina said, looking at the dark skinned officer.

Before Anderson could say anything, Hackett spoke up.

"He proved himself during the Skyllian Blitz, eliminating the batarian captain, who had commenced the attack on Elysium." Hackett said in a praising tone. Anderson nodded.

"He must be the only reason Illyria is still standing." The 52 year old captain noted. Udina nodded, looking through John's files.

"He certainly is courageous." The human ambassador stated. Anderson gently tapped his hands on the table.

"Humanity needs a hero; John Shepard is the best we've got." He said determinately. Hackett nodded in agreement.

"I second that." The Admiral said. Udina nodded, and stood up from the couch, looking at the officers.

"I'll make the call, gentlemen." The ambassador said. The two officers then stood up, and shook hands with the human ambassador, all being in agreement of the decision.

Seeing what had happened, Jane made a little fist pump with her hand, letting out a silent "Yes" from her mouth. After that, the 23 year old Alliance officer waited for Anderson to come to her, and proceeded to walk out of the ambassador's apartment with him.

****Okay, so here's chapter five for ya guys! Sorry it's a bit shorter, but the next chapter will be longer, I assure you. **

**I hope you liked this one; there are really not many things for me to say about this. There's not much that I changed in this chapter, other than altering the choosing of John a bit.**

**And yes, Jane did play a little part in it, hence why she was glad of the decision.**

**I remember the reason for including the book from Oscar Wilde, was because at this time, I had to read it for school, and make a review. xD**

**Please give me those reviews, it's what makes me know if you really read this fanfic.** **


	7. Chapter 6: Eden Prime

**Chapter 6: Eden Prime**

In the infinite emptiness of space, a lonely communications satellite floated near the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto. Two human engineers in spacesuits floated near around the satellite. One of them clung on to the small construct, and opened a service panel, starting to work on the inner parts of the satellite.

As the other human clung on the other side of the satellite, the quiet space around them suddenly was interrupted by a small warship flying past them at great speed. The propulsion power of the ship shook the satellite a little bit, forcing the engineers to hold on to it harder.

The speeding frigate was the SSV Normandy, the newest and most advanced warship in the Alliance navy. The marvel of engineering flew past several small Alliance observational sensors and satellites, heading towards the massive Mass Relay in the high orbit of Pluto's moon, Charon.

On the bridge of the ship, Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau busily controlled the ship, flying it towards the Relay. Behind the pilot was standing a tall turian, wearing shiny body armor.

"The Charon Relay is in range, FTL engines are hot." Joker stated, moving a couple of holographic windows aside the dashboard.

After a moment, Commander John Shepard walked beside the observing turian soldier, looking over Joker's work as well.

The aerodynamic ship shot past the last observation sensors before the Relay, closing in on the bright blue center of energy, comprised of dark energy and mass effect fields.

"Hitting the Relay in three, two, one…" Joker counted, as the Normandy flew next to the energy center. Blue lighting of energy shot at the ship, and surrounded it, suddenly shooting it forwards at unimaginable speeds. After vanishing into the speeds faster of light, Normandy was nowhere to be seen anymore. The active Mass Relay then calmed down, and returned to its normal form, waiting for another ship to transit through it.

A few moments later, Joker looked through statistics and system reports on the bridge.

"Thrusters; check. Navigation; check. Internal heating dampeners engaged, and drift is just under 1500K." The pilot announced, leaning back on his seat a bit.

"1500 is good; your captain will be pleased." The turian passenger said, and then left the bridge. After the turian had left, Joker shook his head a bit.

"I hate that guy…" The human pilot remarked. Kaidan, who was sitting next to him, raised his eyebrows.

"Nihlus just gave you an opinion, and now you hate him?" The lieutenant asked, being baffled by the pilot's surprising statement. Joker just shrugged his comrade's question off.

"Spectres are trouble… I don't like having him on board." He said, stroking his goatee a bit.

The turian soldier visiting the Normandy was Nihlus Kryik, a Spectre operative of the Citadel Council. Spectres where the elite law enforcement agents of the council, only answering to them. Spectres where above all laws themselves, the only thing they were held accountable for, was the Citadel Council, which they served. Only a few selected soldiers and military operatives were chosen to join the prestigious group of peacekeepers. Spectres were given complete control over the law, even the value of a sentient life. Only the council was above the Spectres, nothing else.

Nihlus had arrived on the Normandy a couple of hours earlier, apparently having made a deal with Anderson to oversee a shakedown mission on Eden Prime. John had no idea why a Spectre from the Council would spend their time overseeing a regular stealth system exercise.

"Call me paranoid if you will." Joker said, to which Kaidan quickly answered.

"You *are* paranoid. The council helped fund this project; they have the right to send whoever they want to oversee their investment." The lieutenant explained. Joker shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, that's the official story… but nobody believes those." The pilot said. John chuckled behind him.

"You always expect the worst, Joker." John said. Joker laughed quietly a bit.

"Well, bad feelings are a workplace hazard… but we've done well so far. But seriously, what are we doing here?" The pilot asked, turning to look at the N7 soldier sitting next to him. Before Kaidan could answer, Anderson's voice coming through the intercom interrupted him.

"Joker, status report." The captain's voice ordered. Joker immediately pulled up some holographic statistics on the dashboard.

"Just cleared the Relay, Captain. Stealth systems are engaged, everything looks solid." The human pilot answered, clearing the statistics.

"Good. Find a comm. buoy and link us to it. I want a full report for the council before we reach Eden Prime." Anderson instructed through the intercom system. Joker nodded his head.

"Roger that, sir. Hey, better brace yourself; Nihlus is heading your way." Joker said, smirking a bit.

"He's already here, Lieutenant…." Anderson answered, his voice clearly embarrassed and a bit frustrated. Kaidan looked at the pilot, who shrugged his shoulders, which made the N7 soldier roll his eyes.

"Tell Commander Shepard to come see me in the conference room, I have something to talk to him about." Anderson ordered. The intercom shut down, and Joker glanced over his shoulder a bit.

"You got that, sir?" The pilot asked John. The 25 year old commander nodded, and sighed quietly.

"I'm on my way." John said quietly, starting to walk away from the bridge.

After John had left, Joker chuckled and looked at Kaidan again.

"Is it just me, or does the captain always sound pissed off?" The pilot asked jokingly. Kaidan smirked at his comrade.

"Only when he's talking to you…" Kaidan stated, continuing to work on his dashboard console.

As John walked towards the CIC (Combat Information Center) which contained the main console of the Normandy, and the large holographic galaxy map, he noticed the chief navigator officer Pressly talk with engineer Adams through an intercom. The conversation was more like an argument, in truth.

"I'm telling you, something's off, Adams. A turian Spectre on board our ship, just overlooking exercises? Not possible, I say. There's something Captain Anderson's not telling us." The balding navigator officer said to the microphone.

"You're over thinking it, Pressly. The Council wouldn't send a Spectre to spy us, or anything." Adams answered through the intercom. Pressly shook his head.

"Mark my words, this mission will not be what it seems to be." The navigator said, shutting off the intercom.

John walked to the navigator, who noticed him approaching, turning around and saluting the young commander.

"Good day, Commander. Looks like we've got a smooth run." Pressly said, saluting John.

"Looks like you're not really thrilled about our turian guest?" John asked. Pressly bit his lip.

"Sorry, Commander, just talking with Adams a bit. I do admit that there's something odd going on here, the whole crew is feeling it." Pressly explained, looking around quickly.

"You think the Alliance is holding out on us?" John asked, raising his eyebrow. Pressly nodded a bit.

"If all we're supposed to do is try out the stealth systems, why does the Council send a turian Spectre to oversee it? It doesn't make sense, commander." Pressly said. John could see what was going on in the navigator's head.

"You don't trust Nihlus." John assumed. Pressly frowned a bit.

"I'm not a fan of turians in general, runs in my family. My father and grandfather both fought in the first contact war, they lost a lot of friends during that conflict." The navigator explained. John nodded.

"I understand, but we're all in this galaxy together, Pressly." John said. Pressly shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose so, but I guess I'm just stuck in the old ways." Pressly answered. John tapped the navigator's shoulder.

"We all have our opinions, Pressly." John said, smiling a bit. Pressly nodded his head, and made a small salute.

"Quite so, Commander." The navigator said, before turning back towards his console, continuing to work.

After that, John made his way towards the conference room again, walking past many of the ship's crews, working on the CIC. As he walked past the galaxy map, John saw Private Jenkins talking with Dr. Chakwas nearby, and decided to greet the two. As John walked to them, Jenkins turned around and saluted him.

"What do you think Commander; we won't stay on Eden Prime for too long, are we? I'm itching for some real action!" The young private said enthusiastically.

"I sincerely hope you are kidding, private; your 'real action' usually means me patching you up" Dr. Chakwas stated, raising her eyebrows at the young soldier.

"The doctor's right, Jenkins, you need to calm it down a bit." John said, looking at Jenkins. The private shook his head.

"I want this to be my moment, commander! I really want to become an awesome soldier!" Jenkins said, his eyes shining of enthusiasm. John raised his hands in objection.

"You're young, private; you still have many missions ahead of you. Don't ruin it by doing anything hasty." John instructed. Jenkins nodded, but still was overly enthusiastic.

"Easy for you to say; you proved yourself during the Blitz, everyone knows what you're capable of." Jenkins said, admiring his commanding officer. John wasn't exactly proud of anything he had done during the Blitz, nor did he think of himself being a hero.

"Just think of this being a regular mission, and you'll do fine, Jenkins" John said plainly, instructing his young subordinate. Jenkins saluted him, and smiled.

"You got it, commander!" The young human private said. After that, John turned his face to look at Dr. Chakwas.

"So, what do you think of our turian guest, Nihlus?" John asked curiously.

"Haven't seen a Spectre up close before; Nihlus doesn't seem too different from any turian soldiers, though. I haven't spoken to him at all; he seems to like to keep himself away from most of the crew, only people he seems to talk to is Captain Anderson." Chakwas explained. John nodded.

"I haven't seen Spectres before either; they're quite enigmatic in galactic society." He stated.

"I agree, the Council usually has their Spectres working outside of Citadel space, it's rare to see a Spectre on the Citadel, or on one of the council worlds. They tend to keep to themselves." Chakwas said. Jenkins seemed to disagree.

"Spectres are awesome! They can go anywhere, and do anything they want! They're above all law and rules, they make their own rules!" Jenkins said cheerily.

John didn't know much about the Spectres, but he could tell that nothing really stopped them from going rogue, and putting innocents in danger. In his eyes, they were like a secret police force of the Council, who could do anything they wanted.

"I'll go see what's going on, the Captain's waiting for me." John noted, and started walking towards the door to the conference room. Chakwas and Jenkins noted, the doctor bidding farewell to the young commander.

After a moment, John entered the conference room, noticing Nihlus standing at the end of the room, looking at a holographic image of Eden Prime. John walked behind towards the turian, who turned around to face him.

"Ah, Commander, I was hoping you'd get here first. It'd give us a chance to talk." Nihlus said. John raised his eyebrows a bit, wondering where Anderson was.

"What about?" The Commander asked, looking at the turian Spectre. Nihlus glanced back at the image of Eden Prime.

"I'm interested in this world we're headed to; Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful." The turian said, looking at the picture.

"I've never been there, but I've heard people say it's a paradise." John answered. Nihlus nodded, turning back to look at John.

"Yes, a paradise. Eden Prime has become sort of a symbol of your people. Proof of not only humanity is able to found colonies, but also protect them." Nihlus said, his mandibles moving a bit. John frowned a bit.

"What are you suggesting?" John asked, walking a couple of steps towards the turian. Nihlus approached John as well, as if challenging him.

"Your people are still newcomers to this galaxy, Shepard. Humanity has still much to learn. And that makes me wonder; is the Alliance truly ready for this?" Nihlus said, crossing his arms.

After that, Captain Anderson entered the room, walking next to John and Nihlus.

"I think it's time to tell the Commander what's really going on…" Anderson said to Nihlus.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus started. John turned his face to Anderson.

"I wondered whether there was something you weren't telling us." John said. Anderson nodded, and looked at his former ward.

"This comes down from the top, highly classified. We're heading for Eden Prime to obtain a certain object." Anderson explained. John raised his eyebrows.

"Must be really secret, if no one is allowed to talk about it…" John wondered, to which Anderson nodded.

"It's extremely classified. A couple of weeks ago a scientific team on Eden Prime uncovered an ancient device from an archaeological dig, it's believed to be a prothean beacon of some sort." Anderson explained. John's eyes widened a bit as he raised his brow.

"A prothean beacon?" John asked, being surprised. It had been decades since another prothean discovery had been made.

"Yes, this is a huge discovery, and understandably kept secret." Nihlus stated. Anderson nodded.

"The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forwards 200 years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the capabilities of studying this beacon, so that's why we've been assigned to retrieve the device, and bring it to the Citadel for proper study." Anderson explained.

"Obviously this goes beyond human interest. The Council has asked me to oversee the retrieval, as well as cooperate with the Alliance in this mission." Nihlus explained in turn. John nodded and smiled slightly.

"If this is such a great discovery, I'm happy we have all the help we can get from the council." He said to the turian Spectre, who took a couple of steps towards him.

"The beacon is not the only thing why I'm here, though, Shepard." Nihlus said. John raised his eyebrow.

"Nihlus is here to see you in action, John. He'll evaluate your expertise and skills." Anderson explained. John raised his eyebrow, being a bit confused.

"What's going on, Anderson?" He asked the 52 year old captain.

"Nihlus has forwarded your name to the council as a Spectre candidate, the first human ever to receive the status." Anderson said. Nihlus continued.

"I read your service record, Shepard. Your actions during the Skyllian Blitz were impressive. Your defense of Elysium was both courageous and skillful. I do believe you'd be an excellent addition to the Spectres." The turian explained. John looked at Anderson.

"I assume this would be good for the Alliance?" He asked his captain. John had no idea what it'd be like to be a Spectre.

"Humanity needs this, John. We have tried for years to get more say in the galactic society, and having one of us in the Spectres will give us a tremendous advantage to reaching that goal." Anderson explained.

"The Spectres represent the Council's voice in galactic justice, having a human in their ranks will increase Alliance's influence over the politics, Shepard." Nihlus continued. John nodded slowly.

"Alright, so how do we proceed?" He asked the turian Spectre.

"This mission will be one of many missions together, Shepard. I will be accompanying you, and giving you Spectre training." Nihlus said. John smiled a bit, and shook the turian's hand.

"I appreciate it." John said. Nihlus nodded, as he shook the young human's hand.

"We should be getting close to Eden Prime…" Anderson said, but was then cut short by the voice of Joker, coming through the intercom.

"Captain, we have a problem." The pilot said through the loudspeaker. Anderson frowned in surprise.

"What is it, Joker?" The captain asked.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir… you'd better see this." Joker answered, sounding distressed. Anderson nodded and took a couple steps towards the holographic screen on the wall.

"Put it on the screen." The captain ordered.

John and Nihlus also turned to look at the screen, as the video feed began. John could recognize it being footage from an Alliance marine's helmet camera. As soon as the feed started, the trio could see dozens of explosions and gunshots fill the screen. The marine, from who's helmet the camera feed was from, ran around the battlefield, taking cover behind a large stone, looking at his fellow soldiers shooting at all directions.

"We're under heavy attack, taking heavy casualties!" The soldier yelled to his in-helmet microphone. An artillery shot landing nearby cut the soldier's plead, as he took cover from the falling dirt and rocks.

A soldier near him got hit by spraying blue laser shots, falling on the ground dead. John had never seen such projectiles in his life. A female soldier in red and white colored body armor ran to the soldier wearing the camera in his helmet, pushing him down more.

"Stay down!" The woman yelled, shooting a couple of rounds in the air, where the attack commenced from.

"We need immediate evac! Send reinforcements- ugh!" The soldier yelled in the microphone, being cut short by an explosion again. John frowned a bit, watching at the disturbing footage.

"My god, just send anything! We need help!" The soldier continued. Suddenly the soldier yanked violently, and fell down on the ground, having been shot to death. The camera in his helmet pointed up at the sky, which was filled with incoming blue projectiles and missiles. A couple of odd looking ships, ones which John had never seen before, approached the ground, shooting their cannons.

"Shit! Someone get an anti-air missile launcher over here!" One soldier shouted a distance away from the camera.

After that, a loud and ominous sound filled the atmosphere, making the fighting soldiers look around nervously. Suddenly a massive figure slowly descended down from behind the clouds. Immediately as the figure appeared, the video footage began to chop up and disorient, cutting off completely after a couple of seconds.

A long silence fell down in the conference room, the three soldiers looking at the white noise coming from the screen with shocked faces.

"Everything cuts out after that, there's not comm.-traffic at all, just goes dead." Joker's voice said through the intercom. Anderson frowned, and seemed to think of something.

"Reverse it and hold the footage at .38…" Anderson ordered. Joker did so, and the footage paused right at the moment, when the mysterious figure appeared.

John could see the massive figure being a vessel of some sort. It looked like a gigantic metallic squid, with huge metallic tentacle looking legs spreading out of its body. The vessel looked more advanced than anything he had ever even imagined to exist. Nihlus' mandibles twitched worriedly.

"Status report, Joker." Anderson ordered. The pilot answered a couple of seconds later.

"No incoming signals or messages for the past 12 minutes, captain… it looks like the colony was attacked." Joker said. Anderson nodded quietly.

"Take us in, Joker… nice and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated." Anderson said, turning to look at Nihlus.

"Normandy's stealth systems should be able to take us in undetected; once we're on the ground, we can have a small strike team to investigate this." Nihlus suggested. Anderson agreed, nodding quietly.

"Meet us at the cargo hold in five minutes, Nihlus." The human captain said to the turian. Nihlus nodded, and headed out of the conference room. Anderson then turned to John.

"Go get suited up, and bring Alenko and Jenkins with you, John. You're going in to the colony." Anderson instructed his ship's executive officer.

John nodded, and turned around, heading out the conference room as well. Anderson frowned, and looked at the screen again.

"The hell are you…" The captain said quietly, looking at the ominous vessel on the screen.

**10 minutes later…**

The dry land crunched under John's combat boots, pushing a bit of dust in the air. The 25 year old commander glanced over his shoulder, seeing his subordinates Kaidan Alenko and Richard L. Jenkins jump down to the ground from the Normandy's cargo hold boarding ramp.

The Normandy had dropped Nihlus off a couple of minutes earlier, and was now landed at the secondary drop point, dropping off John and his squadmates. The surface of Eden Prime was very similar to Earth, filled with forests and fields. The evening sky was darkened by smoke statues rising from the colony's buildings that were on fire. Constant gunfire and distant explosions filled the atmosphere with their sounds.

After the two soldiers walked to John, the Alliance frigate's cargo hold door closed, and the warship ascended up, firing up its engines, quickly flying away from John's vision.

"Okay, guys; let's go." John said calmly, signaling the two soldiers behind him to follow.

As the trio descended down from the slope where the Normandy had dropped them off, John and Kaidan gasped a little, when they noticed a couple of floating aliens nearby, which looked like living balloons.

"What the hell are those?" Kaidan asked, looking at the creatures as the soldiers walked past them.

"Gas Bags, don't worry, they're harmless." Jenkins, who was native to Eden Prime, explained.

After that, the three-man squad headed up a small ridge, John walking in front, his assault rifle ready. He still had no idea who they were up against, and thus kept his eyes open, ready for ambushes and surprise attacks.

As the squad walked ahead, the trio was alerted by an alarming sound of incoming jet engines. Kaidan spotted them quickly, and crouched down.

"Get down!" The human lieutenant said quickly, instructing his comrades to quickly crouch down as well.

After a couple of seconds, two fast moving fighters flew above them. John had never seen such starships before; they looked like big metallic wasps, flying faster than any Alliance fighter could ever fly. John activated the intercom system in his helmet.

"Nihlus, we just encountered two enemy fighters… never seen anything like them." John explained to the microphone. The turian Spectre answered shortly after.

"Copy that, Shepard. I've scouted out a small settlement; nothing but charred bodies and dead soldiers. Watch your back out here; I don't like this at all. I'm gonna check out a small spaceport now, good luck." Nihlus answered, shutting off his intercom, after telling his info to John.

After the short conversation, Jenkins approached John, pointing at the small clearing ahead of them.

"Permission to scout ahead, sir?" The young private asked. John nodded, patting the private's shoulder.

"Okay, go ahead. Keep your finger on the trigger." The Commander advised. Jenkins nodded in acknowledgment, moving quickly to the clearing, looking around his surroundings. Kaidan came next to John, looking around as well.

Suddenly two small flying drones appeared in front of Jenkins from behind a large rock. Before the private could react, the drones opened fire, ripping through Jenkins' armor, spraying blood out of his wounds. The human private immediately fell down on the ground, his body full of smoking holes.

"Son of a bitch!" John exclaimed, and signaled Kaidan to follow him. The two N7 soldiers rushed down the slope to the clearing, Kaidan quickly using his biotic powers to slam one of the drones to the ground, destroying it. John stopped behind a small rock, and quickly shot the other drone, as it was acquiring the human commander as its new target.

After the enemy drone had dropped on the ground, inactive, Kaidan and John walked over to Jenkins' body to check the damage. Kaidan crouched down beside the young private, scanning his body with an omni-tool. After that, Kaidan sighed deeply, closing the private's eyes; Jenkins was dead.

"Ripped right through his shields and armor… he didn't stand a chance." The human lieutenant sad quietly, standing up to look at John. John sighed, as he looked at his now dead subordinate.

"We'll see that he'll receive a proper funeral after this mission… but Kaidan, I need you focused right now." The commander said to his comrade. Kaidan nodded, sighing a bit.

"I know, John. Let's get a move on." The lieutenant answered. John nodded, and started to head towards a small forest, Kaidan following him closely.

A few minutes later, the two N7 soldiers came out of the small forest, walking down a small slope again, towards a clearing and some settlements.

A dozen meters ahead of them, they suddenly saw a female Alliance soldier, running for her life. A flying drone, same kind which killed Jenkins earlier, flew behind her, shooting its small machinegun relentlessly. The woman suddenly tripped on her feet, and fell down on the ground. She quickly turned on her back, and shot at the drone with her rifle, destroying it. As John saw that, he signaled Kaidan to follow him, starting to walk towards the woman.

As the woman got up, she looked towards the settlement, and gasped as she saw two synthetic figures escorting a human civilian towards an odd looking device. The synthetics placed the weak human on the device, which suddenly extended out as a large spike, impaling the human violently. The woman gasped, and ran behind a large rock, after that happened. The synthetics noticed it, and raised their advanced pulse rifles, starting to head at the female soldier's cover.

Before the synthetics got too close, John and Kaidan rushed to the woman, John quickly using his biotics to raise the robots in the air, while Kaidan quickly shot their metallic armor full of holes, destroying the inner parts of them.

After the threat was over, the woman took a deep breath, holstering her assault rifle behind her back. John and Kaidan walked to the soldier, who immediately saluted them, as she saw them being N7 soldiers.

"Sergeant Ashley Williams, Gunner Chief in the 162nd Artillery Regiment. Are you part of the reinforcements, sir?" The woman introduced herself, also asking her question in a distressed manner. John sighed quietly.

"We're not reinforcements, but we'll do what we can to help. Are you wounded Williams?" John asked the young female soldier. Williams shook her head, still catching her breath.

"No, I'm fine, sir… others in my platoon weren't so lucky…" Sgt. Williams said, lowering her head. Kaidan walked over one of the synthetics, looking at the dead robot with disturbed eyes.

"Commander… these things look like geth." The lieutenant said, crouching next to one of the synthetics, investigating it. Sgt. Williams nodded her head.

"Yes, I think they're geth…" The woman sergeant said, looking at the dead geth soldier. John raised his eyebrows. geth here on Eden Prime; how was that possible?

The geth were a synthetic race of artificial intelligences, having been created by the quarians 300 years ago. The geth had revolted against their creators, and driven the quarians out of their homeworld Rannoch, which is why they had to live on the Migrant Fleet.

"The geth haven't set food outside the Perseus Veil for three centuries… what the hell are they doing here?" John wondered, scratching the back of his neck a bit.

"They must've come for the prothean beacon that was discovered. It's right ahead of us, at the dig site, I can take you there." Williams suggested, pointing at the nearby settlement. John nodded, signaling Kaidan to stand up.

"Okay, Williams. Take us there… whatever this beacon is, it's obviously something more than the council is interested in." John said, looking at the dead geth again.

After that, the human sergeant escorted the two N7 specialists towards the nearby dig site, which was the dig site the prothean device was discovered in.

**...**

Nihlus approached a small spaceport's cargo processing area, taking cover behind a container. The turian Spectre sensed something was wrong, not just with the geth invading a human colony. With his perfected awareness of his immediate surroundings, Nihlus sensed someone was pacing around near him in the area.

The turian readied his elite rifle, and then emerged from his cover, quickly approaching his target. With widening eyes, Nihlus lowered his weapon, as he recognized the figure standing in front of him. It was another turian, one who Nihlus knew.

"Saren…?" Nihlus inquired in disbelief. The grey skinned turian turned around, looking at the Spectre near him. Saren looked at his acquaintance with a calm and steady face.

"Nihlus…" The turian said quietly, walking towards the Spectre. Nihlus lowered his weapon completely, looking around a bit.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" The turian Spectre asked his colleague. Saren calmly placed his hand on Nihlus' shoulder, smiling a bit to his friend.

"The council though you might need some help with this one." The fellow turian spectre assured, patting Nihlus' shoulder a bit. Nihlus noticed that Saren's entire right arm was synthetic; it looked like a geth arm. That made the turian Spectre suspicious, but he shook off the thoughts, looking at the skies, which were filled with smoke.

"I didn't expect to find geth here… the situation's bad; we need to contact the council about this." Nihlus said, grabbing his rifle in his hands. Saren walked behind his Spectre colleague, still staying calm and steady.

"Don't worry…. I have it under control." The turian Spectre veteran said, taking an M-77 Paladin pistol from his hip, and suddenly aiming it at Nihlus' head. The turian Spectre had no idea what his colleague was intending to do, and he paid for his trust, as Saren pulled the trigger on his pistol.

**...**

"I don't understand… the beacon was right here, it must've been moved." Sgt. Williams said, while looking around the dig site, which was empty. She had led John and Kaidan to the dig site a minute earlier, in hopes of showing them the prothean beacon. Now it looked like the device had been taken away.

"But by who? Our side, or the geth?" Kaidan asked the woman. Ashley shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know… we should maybe look around, try to find out where it is." She suggested. John looked around the area, seeing a couple of those Geth devices, which had impaled unfortunate human civilians.

"What are those things?" John asked the Alliance sergeant. Ashley shrugged her shoulders again, shaking her head a bit.

"I have no idea… but it's seemingly turning its victims into some sort of... husk…" Ashley noted, looking at the human victims hanging on the spikes, clearly being turned into some sort of creatures.

Suddenly the spikes moved down, sheathing into the device's root. The human victims descended with the spikes, suddenly starting to move. As the spikes went down, the human husks moved off of the machine, walking a couple of steps away from them. John, Kaidan and Ashley all gasped, as they saw these monsters come to life, behaving like synthetic zombies.

"What did the geth do to them!?" Ashley exclaimed, raising her assault rifle to point it at the approaching creatures.

"Take them down!" John ordered, opening fire on the attacking monsters. The husks didn't even twitch from the first couple of shots that pierced their bodies, to the contrary; they just got angrier. The husks charged forward, screaming their monstrous yell, trying to claw their way towards the Alliance soldiers. The geth-made monsters didn't stand a chance against the powerful rifles of the soldiers, killing them quickly enough. After the husks had all died, Kaidan took a deep breath.

"They turn our dead against us… how the hell did the geth even get technology like this?" The young lieutenant wondered. Ashley hummed quietly.

"The geth have been isolated from the rest of the galaxy for three hundred years… I'm sure they could've developed something like this in that time." She pointed out. John sighed, reloading his rifle, which had smoke come out its muzzle.

"Let's go find that beacon and get out of here… if the geth are really invading, we'll need more forces." The commander said, looking around the area while taking a deep breath.

Then suddenly the ground started to shake, like a small earthquake. The soldiers looked around, trying to figure out the source of the sudden quake. They didn't need to look further than into the horizon, where the massive vessel started taking off. John gasped as he saw the gigantic squid-like starship slowly ascend towards the sky.

"Holy shit… that thing is massive!" Kaidan exclaimed, looking at the ship taking off. The ship must've been over a kilometer tall, it was truly massive. As the long metallic tentacle-like legs touched off from the ground, the shaking stopped. The ship started to increase its speed, ascending to the sky rapidly, making a loud metallic noise that rang deep in John's eardrums.

After a few moments, the vessel disappeared behind a large cloud, still making awfully loud noise, as it ascended into the heavens. John had no idea if it was a geth ship, or something else, he had never thought the geth could possess such technology, let alone such massive ships. Something more was going on, than it seemed.

**...**

Two geth troopers worked on a large explosive device, while another one was overlooking their work. The rogue turian Spectre, Saren Arterius, walked to the synthetic soldiers.

"Forget about the explosives, we're leaving. Prepare the ship for take-off, and take us to the rendezvous point to meet up with Sovereign." The turian Spectre ordered. The geth troopers got up, and ticked and chirped their answer in their electronic language. After that, the robots rushed away. Saren turned towards another four geth troopers, one of them being a lot bigger and more armored than the rest.

"The Alliance is coming; you need to stay here and protect the beacon. If they overwhelm you, destroy it." The turian ordered. The big and bulky geth nodded its head in acknowledgment, signaling its smaller companions to take positions near the prothean beacon, which was moved to the end of the cargo loading area.

After that, Saren took a quick glance at the beacon, his face in a frown. Having gotten everything he came for, the turian spectre then left the scene with his geth escort, heading towards the geth corvette, which was landed nearby.

**...**

The three Alliance soldiers approached the cargo loading area at the small local spaceport. As they walked up the ramp that took them to the loading area, Kaidan and John immediately noticed a dead turian lying on the ground, a blue pool of blood surrounding him. They recognized him to be Nihlus. Kaidan crouched over the dead turian, trying to check for any clues.

"He's been shot through the head… looks like from behind. Whoever did this must've had him let his guard down first…" Kaidan explained, investigating the turian Spectre's body. John sighed, and scratched the back of his neck. Nihlus was dead, Eden Prime was all but decimated by the geth, and the beacon was nowhere to be seen; John really didn't know what would happen next.

Suddenly Ashley raised her rifle, and pointed it towards a couple of cargo containers ahead.

"I saw you! Come out!" The sergeant yelled. As John was about to ask her, what she had seen, a human man walked from behind the containers with his hands up.

"No! Wait, don't shoot! I'm human." The man pleaded. John put his hand on Ashley's rifle, pushing it down.

"What were you doing over there? Can't you see there's geth running around?" John asked the frightened man.

"I know, I was hiding from them… everyone here is dead… only I'm left." The man said, lowering his head. Kaidan stood up from Nihlus' body, looking at the human man.

"Did you see what happened to this turian?" The lieutenant asked. The man nodded quickly.

"Yes! I saw it all! He was killed by that other turian!" The man said. John and Kaidan glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"What other turian?" John asked the man.

"There was this other turian here… I guess his name was Saren, or something. I think the two of them knew each other…" The man explained, scratching his head a bit. John had a bad feeling about this; Nihlus had been killed by another turian, and if he was an acquaintance to the council Spectre, this Saren had to be a Spectre too.

"Great… we have a traitor in our midst." John remarked quietly.

Before John could ask anything else from the man, a loud gunshot startled the entire group. The man twitched in pain, and fell on his face on the ground, his entire back vaporized and smoking.

Out of thin air, a geth shotgun trooper appeared. The synthetic's tactical cloak deactivated, making the trooper visible.

Kaidan quickly activated his omni-tool, and shot out a shock of electricity at the geth soldier, corrupting its shields and inner programming, making it shake uncontrollably. John and Ashley raised their rifles, and shot the geth full of holes. After the geth had died, John looked at the dead human man, sighing deeply.

"God damn it... the geth even got cloaked soldiers…" The commander said quietly.

Ashley walked over to the dead man, looking around quickly. Her eyes stopped, as she looked towards the end of the loading area. The human sergeant pointed at that direction.

"Commander, look! There's the beacon!" Ashley said, pointing at a large device several meters away, at the end of the loading area. John saw it too, and smiled a bit.

"Good eye, Williams. Let's go." John said, signaling the two soldiers to follow him.

As the trio approached the beacon, four geth troopers emerged from behind different containers, blocking their way. One of the geth soldiers larger than the others, ordering the small ones to attack John and his squad, speaking in the electric language of the geth.

As the geth troopers opened fire, both John and Kaidan reacted with their biotic powers, forming a powerful shield around them, which absorbed the geth pulse rounds.

"We can't hold them forever! Williams, throw an EMP!" John ordered. The young female sergeant then quickly grabbed a small grenade from her hip, throwing it through the shield. The grenade landed in the middle of the four geth troopers, detonating and immediately immobilizing the three normal soldiers. The larger geth juggernaut didn't even flinch from the grenade. The large geth started walking towards the Alliance soldiers, opening fire with its small minigun, which shot hundreds of rounds at the biotic shield.

John had had enough, blue energy surrounding his body. The young commander pulled the geth's weapon out of its hands with a biotic pull. Now disarmed, the geth juggernaut stared at its adversaries for a second, before starting to walk towards them again, clenching its hands into fists.

Ashley aggressively shot out a concussive shot out of the second barrel in her assault rifle, which pierced the geth's armor, and spraying the metallic parts all around. Its inner parts now exposed, the geth seemed to be a bit more concerned of its own safety. But the synthetic soldier was too slow for the hardened human soldiers, as all the three of them opened fire, shooting the large geth full of rounds. The juggernaut fell on its knees, its blue lights shutting down, after which it collapsed on the ground, having been disabled.

After the geth had been taken out, John took a deep breath, and approached the beacon again. As he noticed there weren't any other threats around, the commander activated his intercom inside his helmet, contacting the Normandy.

"Normandy, the beacon is secure, we're ready for extraction." John said through the intercom.

Kaidan and Ashley approached the beacon a bit more, Kaidan being amazed to see actual prothean technology.

"Amazing; an actual working prothean device… unbelievable." The young lieutenant remarked, looking at the beacon, which was surrounded by subtly glowing green energy. Ashley raised her eyebrows.

"It wasn't doing anything like that before… it must've been activated…" The sergeant wondered, walking closer to the device. Kaidan walked back to John, who had received an answer from the Normandy.

"Roger that, Joker… we'll see you soon." John said to his microphone, deactivating his intercom afterwards. As Kaidan stopped next to John, Ashley in the meanwhile investigated the beacon more closely.

Suddenly the glowing green energy pulsated, beginning to pull Ashley towards the beacon. The young sergeant couldn't control her movements, being pulled at the prothean device unwillingly. John saw that, and quickly ran past Kaidan, who turned to look what was happening with a surprised face.

John jumped and grabbed Ashley by her waist, turning her around quickly, and throwing her away from the beacon's pull. But after that, John himself was caught in the energy's pull, suddenly raising him in the air, and holding him there.

"Commander!" Ashley yelled, as she regained her senses, and tried to help John, but Kaidan held her back.

"No, don't touch him, it's too dangerous!" The human lieutenant said, holding back the woman.

As John floated in the air, the beacon showed him fast moving images in his head. John couldn't make sense of the images, but he could tell they were about carnage and destruction. The images were like the short vision he had on Torfan two years ago, but this one didn't make any sense at all to him.

After a few moments, the beacon suddenly exploded in a green energy wave, throwing John back a few meters, and slamming him on the ground. Ashley and Kaidan immediately rushed to the commander's side, who had lost consciousness. As Ashley checked John's vitals, Kaidan activated his helmet's intercom, quickly contacting the Normandy.

**At the same time on the Citadel…**

In the dark alleys of one of the several wards in the Citadel's arms, a young quarian woman ran for her life. The girl panted, as she dodged walls and cut corners, escaping her chaser. Behind the quarian, a turian soldier ran too, his weapon at the ready to kill.

After making a swift left turn, the quarian girl ran through a small alley, leading to a larger open area, which turned out to be a dead end. The young woman panted and looked around in panic, trying to find any way to escape.

The turian soldier reached her, stopping about ten meters from her, and laughing a bit.

"You really thought you could get away from me, suit rat? Think again." The turian said, raising his rifle. The quarian quickly activated her omni-tool, forming a pink coloured combat drone in the air.

"Show him Chatika!" The quarian shouted, as the combat drone appeared. The drone aggressively charged the turian, who activated his omni-tool, and destroyed the drone with a single swipe of electricity. The drone dissolved, as it was disabled, and the quarian took a couple of steps backwards, trying to stay away from the turian.

"Next time, upgrade your drone first, little girl… oh wait… there won't be a next time for you." The turian said, smirking deviously, and raising his rifle at her.

But before he could shoot, a big figure stomped behind the turian. As soon as the turian turned around, he was grabbed by his throat by the big assailant. The attacker choke slammed his victim on the hard floor, making the quarian able to see her savior was a krogan. The krogan had a red headcrest, and a large scar going across his whole face. The krogan soldier surrounded his body with blue biotic energy, and violently stomped on the turian's head with his feet, crushing the unfortunate turian's skull. The quarian girl closed her eyes in disgust, not wanting to see that.

After that, the girl opened her eyes, seeing a small volus and another turian to walk from behind the krogan. The volus approached her, stopping in front of her.

"*ghh* Ms. Tali'Zorah… I believe you've been trying to contact the Shadow Broker in hopes of transferring information for protection?" The volus asked, breathing quite often, as volus' did. The quarian girl sighed a bit.

"Yes… yes, I have information about a council Spectre named Saren; he's working for the geth, and I thought that'd be important for the council." Tali explained to the volus. The volus nodded his head.

"*ghh* Indeed, Ms. Zorah… that information is highly valuable for the council, and the Shadow Broker. *ghh*" The volus answered. The krogan behind the volus chuckled a bit.

"It seems Saren is interested in it as well, little one…" The krogan said, looking over the dead turian's body.

"*ghh* I am Barla Von, a financial advisor, and an agent for the Shadow Broker. *ghh* Are you injured, Miss?" The volus asked, looking at Tali's left arm, which was bleeding.

"I sealed my suit, but the wound is still bleeding…" She said, holding her arm a bit. Barla Von nodded, and handed out a credit card for her.

"There is a medical clinic nearby, here's for any expenses you'll possibly face. If you wish to exchange the information you have for protection, look for a man named Fist at the Chora's Den nightclub. *ghh* He's also an agent for the Shadow Broker, and he'll be able to provide your protection, in exchange of the data." The volus said, handing the credit card to the young quarian.

"Oh… uhm… thank you. I'll go meet this Fist after getting patched up… thank you." Tali said, in a bit more cheerful voice. Barla Von nodded, and bowed a little.

"Goodbye, Ms. Zorah, we won't unfortunately meet again. *ghh* Fist will set you up with one of the Shadow Broker's personal agents, and provide you with protection from Saren's agents. *ghh* Good luck, young one." Barla Von said, turning around, and walking away. The krogan and the turian mercenaries followed the volus, the krogan quickly turning to look at Tali.

"Stay safe now, little one." The krogan said, striking a small smile from his face.

After that, the krogan brute walked away too, and Tali was left alone. The young quarian took a deep breath, looking over at the dead turian, who was chasing her just a minute earlier. Then Tali slowly walked away from the area, leaving Saren's assassin lying dead on the ground. She made her way to the nearby medical clinic, hoping to get quick help there, so she'd be able to be rid of the information she held, to take the heat off her from Saren. She was scared and alone, no one was there to protect her from Saren's assassins. Only luck had saved her now, in the form of Barla Von and his mercenaries.

****Okay, here's chapter six for ya guys! It's a long one, I know, but I figured it'd be nice to give you a treat every once in a while.**

**Some obvious changes in this chapter, the Eden Prime invasion is a bit different, as well as the interaction on the planet. The geth are their ME3 versions already, because it didn't make sense to me that they changed so much between a couple of years in game.**

**I decided to include Tali at the end solely as a gift for all the fellow Talimancers out there, we love her, and we're proud of it. **

**I hope you enjoyed this one, let me know in the reviews, and seriously, do write them, it keeps me going. Have a good one, guys** **


	8. Chapter 7: The Prothean Warning

**Chapter 7: The Prothean Warning**

A stiff headache woke John up from his short coma, ending the black darkness in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to get up from the bed.

"Doctor! Dr. Chakwas, I think he's waking up!" A familiar female voice exclaimed. John sat up on the medical bed, holding his head for a minute, before opening his eyes fully, and looking around. Dr. Chakwas and Ashley walked to him, the doctor smiling a bit.

"You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?" Chakwas asked. John grunted quietly, stroking his short beard.

"Like the morning after an alcohol filled shore leave… how long was I out?" John asked, lifting his face up to look at the doctor.

"About 15 hours, commander. Something happened down there at the colony; you got quite a blow to your head." Chakwas explained. Ashley sighed quietly, and walked next to the doctor.

"It was my fault… I must have activated the beacon somehow…" The sergeant said. John shook his head a bit.

"You couldn't have known it would do that." John answered in her defense. Ashley smiled, even blushing just a bit.

"Well, whatever it was, it knocked you out good. But physically you're fine, I've only seen signs of increased amount of beta waves in your brain, and also an increase in your rapid eye movement; it usually means vivid dreaming or hallucinating." Dr. Chakwas explained. John squint his eyes, trying to remember what he saw in that vision.

"I saw… I'm not sure what I saw… death… destruction… but nothing's really clear…" The young commander said quietly, closing his eyes, trying to get deeper into his thoughts. After a moment, John jumped off the bed, leaning against it, while thinking.

"So, what happened to the beacon?" He asked the female sergeant next to him.

"It exploded right after doing that thing to you. I and Lieutenant Alenko carried you back to the Normandy afterwards." Ashley said. John smiled a bit, and patted the sergeant's shoulder in appreciation.

"Thanks for that, Ashley." John said. Ashley smiled again, being happily surprised at the commander calling her by her first name.

"Well, I'll include your 'vision' in my report… it may- oh… Captain Anderson." Chakwas said, being cut short by Anderson walking in to the medical bay.

"How's our XO doing, doctor?" The captain asked. Chakwas patted John's back once.

"He's fine, all the things considered. The commander's a tough one." The doctor said. Anderson nodded, smiling little.

"Good to hear. John, I need to talk with you… in private." Anderson said, quickly looking at Ashley and Chakwas. The young female sergeant saluted the captain.

"Aye aye, captain. I'll be in the mess hall if you need me." Ashley said, walking out the medical bay with Dr. Chakwas.

After the two had left the room, Anderson turned to look at John.

"Sounds like it got pretty tight in there, are you okay?" The captain asked. John, who remembered Jenkins' recent death, sighed and stroked his forehead.

"Jenkins is dead… I'm tired of losing soldiers…" The young commander answered quietly. Anderson nodded, and patted John's shoulder.

"I know the feeling, John. Jenkins was a good and bright young fellow, the Normandy is a lot emptier without him… but, John... you can't change the unfortunate fact that soldiers and even civilians will die during war. The worst thing in all of it is… that you can't save them all." Anderson said quietly, trying to console the young commander. John nodded quietly.

"I guess… and that's a fact I still haven't accepted fully." The commander said. Anderson nodded, and decided to change the subject.

"John, what happened with the beacon? It did something to you, and then it was destroyed." The captain asked. John nodded and took a deep breath.

"Just before I lost consciousness, the beacon gave some kind of… vision…" He said quietly, remembering the violent images he saw. Anderson stroked his chin a bit.

"A vision of what?" The older captain asked. John sighed, and frowned his face just a bit.

"I saw synthetics… maybe geth… I saw them butcher people… destroying entire cities and worlds. It reminded me of the vision I had on Torfan…" John explained. Anderson stroked his chin in his thoughts, nodding quietly.

"This is serious, John. You've seen a similar vision now twice… it's not a coincidence." The captain said. John shrugged his shoulders.

"Most people would consider me crazy, or lying." He answered. Anderson shook his head.

"Saren's involvement in this makes the difference. He just murdered another Spectre, and he's working with the geth. That is why I trust that you saw these visions, John." The captain explained. John raised his eyebrow a bit.

"So this Saren is a Spectre too?" He asked. Anderson sighed in a bit of frustration, and nodded.

"Yes, he's one of the most respected Spectres of all time, the council holds him in high value… which is exactly why proving to them that Saren is guilty, will be difficult." Anderson said. John crossed his arms over his chest.

"But we have the evidence! He attacked Eden Prime with the geth!" The commander said. Anderson sighed, and leaned against the bed.

"Unfortunately we don't have the evidence, John. The only eyewitness we had died. We need to find some way to prove Saren's guilt. When the council sees it, they'll strip him of his Spectre status, which will make his job a lot harder. Right now he can go anywhere, and do almost anything…" The captain explained. John nodded, and frowned in determination.

"We'll prove Saren's guilt, and the council will help us. And I *will* find a way to bring him down, count on that, Anderson." The commander said defiantly. Anderson nodded.

"I believe you, John… but don't become the thing you're hunting. Don't ever let fear compromise who you are, and most of the time, most atrocious things in the universe are made in fear… I believe there's more to Saren's sudden rampage, than it seems." Anderson said, patting John's shoulder.

After that, Joker's voice suddenly chirped in over the intercom.

"Captain Anderson, we're approaching the Relay, ETA to the Citadel is about fifteen minutes." The Normandy's pilot declared. Anderson nodded, and turned to look at John again.

"I need to contact Admiral Hackett in my cabin, John. Go on the bridge to accompany Joker in bringing us into dock at the Citadel, okay?" He asked, patting John's shoulder. John nodded, and smiled a bit.

"Sure…" He answered, smiling a bit for his superior officer and friend. Anderson smiled too, and then left the medical bay. John sighed quietly, and headed out the room himself too.

After leaving the medical bay, John noticed Ashley leaning against a wall nearby, clearly waiting for him to come out the room. After she saw him, Ashley smiled and waved John over. John walked to his new acquaintance, smiling a bit out of politeness.

"Hey, Commander… I'm glad to see you okay. And, I'm sorry about Jenkins; I hear he was an enthusiastic soldier." The young female said. John nodded his head a bit.

"He was part of this crew, even if he wasn't part of it long." He answered. Ashley nodded in understating.

"I understand, commander. I do admit… I'm not too sure about joining the crew… I'm like… a complete stranger to you people." She said, biting her lower lip. John raised his eyebrow a bit, not having been aware of the young sergeant joining in with the Normandy's crew. Ashley saw his surprise, and immediately explained.

"Captain Anderson offered me to join the crew… I… I hope that's not a problem." She said. John quickly shook his head.

"Oh, no! Of course not, it's fine by me!" The commander quickly assured. Ashley chuckled a bit, tugging John's arm.

"No worries, skipper… we're good." She said. After that, the two young soldiers made their way to the frigate's bridge.

**...**

After a couple of minutes, John and Ashley walked on the bridge, coming behind Joker, who sat in his seat, working on Normandy's consoles. Kaidan sat beside him, in front of his monitor.

"Good to see you up, John. Joker here was getting worried already." Kaidan said, smirking a bit. The pilot chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, well only because I made a bet on how long you'll be unconscious…" Joker admitted. Kaidan laughed at that.

"Yup, and you won, it seems… I guess I owe you that beer." The Staff Lieutenant remarked, patting the pilot's shoulder next to him. John shook his head a bit, to which Ashley giggled silently.

"Well, anyway. We're just about to exit through the relay, commander. Let's see that paid Alliance parking space privilege at work…" Joker stated. Kaidan chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah, because you'd never pay for a docking space." He said. Joker shook his head.

"Hell no, I'm freaking working for the Alliance, gotta have some workplace benefits." The pilot answered, working on the countless holographic monitors on the dashboard.

After a few moments the Mass Relay in the Serpent Nebula started turning its reactor wheels. Seconds later, the Normandy warped in to the Nebula, moving fast past the massive assumed prothean device. The ship flew into the dense clouds, consisting of dust, gas and other particles. The colorful clouds parted away around the Normandy, like any other clouds would do on Earth. After a few seconds inside the interstellar clouds, the Normandy flew out of the Nebula, being blinded by the bright shiny light of the star system's sun. And then right in front of them was the Citadel, safely located inside the dense nebula clouds.

The Citadel was a massive space station, built by the protheans thousands of years ago. The station had a large circular center, with five "arms" stretching out of it. These "wards" with the center point "presidium", housed over 45 million inhabitants, of which about 11 million were human.

The Normandy made its way towards the station, passing by a couple of transport and merchant ships, which made their way towards the Widow mass relay. John and Ashley looked through the cockpit's windows, seeing all the ships flying past them.

The ship then passed dozens of turian cruisers and frigates, which were stationed at the station as its defense fleet. The Citadel Fleet consisted of over 120 ships, which most of were either turian cruisers or frigates. The asari and salarians also possessed a number of cruisers and frigates in defense of the station. The Alliance, being a newcomer in the galactic society, was not required to have any warships for the defense of the Citadel. The fleet's flagship was the massive asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension, which put any ship in the Citadel space to shame, being colossally over 1500 meters large.

The Normandy now flew past the Ascension, Ashley gasped as she saw the massive asari ship.

"Look at the size of the Destiny Ascension! I never even imagined it was that huge!" The young female sergeant said in awe. John smirked a bit, as he looked at the colossal warship, being elegantly shaped, like most asari ships were.

"It's not that big…" Joker cut in, obviously not being a fan of another ship overcoming the Normandy. Ashley chuckled and looked at the pilot.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" She asked the bearded pilot. Joker shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just saying, you need firepower too." Joker said, patting the dashboard in front of him, pointing out of the Normandy's advanced weapon systems. Ashley laughed again.

"Are you serious? That monster's main cannons could rip any Alliance ship to shreds!" She said, pointing at the passing warship. Joker just ignored her, smiling a bit.

"Good thing it's on our side then." Kaidan remarked. After that, Joker opened the transmitter system.

"Citadel flight control, this is the SSV Normandy, asking for landing permission at the presidium dock." The pilot said through the microphone.

As the Normandy flew past more warships, towards the circular center point of the station, the transmitter gave Joker an answer.

"Normandy, this is Citadel control, please forward the required verification codes." A turian voice said through the transmitter. Joker quickly glanced at John, who leaned on the pilot's chair. Anderson had given him the codes right before the mission on Eden Prime.

"Verification code; Autumn 09, council authorization 3699." John said to the microphone. After a couple of seconds, the turian responded.

"Verified, Commander Shepard, welcome to the Citadel. Docking bay B71 is clear for your arrival, Normandy." The flight controller said, shutting off the connection afterwards. Joker chuckled a bit.

"Well, now this is all grand and professional… regular ward docking bays require no fancy codes, just the payment or the authorization file." The pilot said. John rolled his eyes a bit, and walked away from the bridge, going to get ready for docking with the station.

In the next couple of minutes, the Normandy flew past the last defending warships, swirling around one turian frigate, and heading towards the presidium docking bays. The advanced frigate fired up its forward engines to break down its speed, as it closed in with the docking bay. Joker handled the docking well, calmly flying the ship to stop, and docked with the several docking clamps, which magnetically kept the ship in place. The boarding gate tunnel extended and docked with the ship's airlock as well, enabling the exit from the ship. The Normandy had officially arrived at the Citadel.

**15 minutes later…**

John leaned on a balcony rail with Kaidan and Ashley in a spacious presidium apartment. It was the office and living quarters for the human ambassador Donnel Udina, who frantically clenched his hands into fists, as he stood in front of three hologram displayers. The ambassador had met them a couple of minutes ago, and was now negotiating with the Citadel Council. Anderson stood next to Udina, who was angry, to say the least.

"This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" The human politician said in a loud voice. The holographic images of the three councilors showed clearly their disapproval for the ambassador's attitude.

"The turians don't found colonies in the edges of the Terminus Systems, ambassador." The salarian Councilor Valern said, crossing his hands over his chest.

"The human colonist were well aware of the dangers of such thing, a geth attack is unfortunate, but still out of the council's hands." The asari Councilor Tevos said; her voice remaining calm and steady. Udina wasn't ready to stop there.

"And what about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre, I demand action!" The human ambassador shouted determinately. The turian Councilor Sparatus shook his head in disagreement.

"You don't get to make demands from the Council, ambassador Udina." The turian said strongly.

"The Citadel Security is investigating your accusations against Saren. We we'll be able to hold a meeting regarding the evidence after the investigation has concluded, not before." Councilor Tevos said. After that statement, the three holographic council members disappeared. Udina sighed heavily in frustration, and turned towards Anderson.

"Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you…" The frustrated human said, looking at John and his squad.

"Just the team that was on Eden Prime. Seems like the council doesn't take our accusations against Saren well." The old captain noted. Udina crossed his arms.

"They definitely were not happy about it. Saren is their top operative… they won't easily believe our evidence, even if we had some…" The human ambassador explained. John turned around and walked next to Anderson.

"Saren is a danger to all of us. We have to prove his guilt to the council, at all costs." John said determinately. Udina shook his head a bit.

"I don't think you should be part of that, Commander. Your job was to prove your worthiness to the Spectres, but instead; Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed." Udina said accusatively. Anderson lifted his hand in protest.

"That's Saren's fault, not John's!" Anderson said in John's defense. Udina sighed a bit, and looked down.

"Then we'd better hope we'll be able to provide evidence to support our accusations… otherwise this will end up badly for all of us." He said. Anderson and John both nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Anderson, come with me; we'll have to prepare our meeting with the council. Shepard, make your way to the council tower, top floor… I'll make sure you'll have the required clearances." Udina instructed. After that, the human ambassador walked out of the office, with Anderson following him. After the two had left, Kaidan and Ashley walked beside John, the young woman shaking her head.

"And that's why I hate politicians…" She said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

**...**

The usually quiet atmosphere of Xanes, a small terrestrial moon over the uninhabitable planet Veles, was filled with sounds of gunfire, screams, and explosions. Xanes was a small human colony, housing a little over 400 people. It had been a small mining moon used by the batarians a couple of centuries ago, and was now the house for a small number of humans. The barren surface of the planet was not exactly a huge advertisement for the moon, which is why the population was small.

Dozens of geth warships floated in the planet's skies, their countless of fighters flying around with speed. Several gunships and dropships had brought in geth troopers, which had quickly overcome the colony's small militia. Two geth troopers dragged a helpless human victim towards their master, who was standing in the middle of the small town's center. Saren glanced over the dark skinned human, who looked at him with fear.

"Please, sir… why are you doing this?" The human asked in a shaky voice. The turian spectre laughed a bit, placing his hands on his waist.

"Or what? Are you going to stop me, human?" Saren asked his victim. The human man breathed heavily and fast.

"But… but we have done nothing… why do this…? Please… mercy…" The man said weakly and quietly. Saren chuckled a bit, looking around the destruction his geth troops had inflicted.

"Tell me, are you afraid of death?" The turian asked the scared human. At that moment, a loud noise carved into the human's head. The massive figure of the alien vessel Saren commandeered slowly descended behind the clouds in the sky, approaching the ground. The whole sky was darkened by this massive ship. The human man looked at the ship with fear, putting his hands to his chest.

"Allah is the greatest… glory to be his…" The man whispered quietly. Saren laughed, looking at the scared man.

"That one of your gods, human? Whatever it is… it won't be helping you today…" The turian spectre said. The massive ship landed right on top of them, its huge legs shaking the ground, as they touched down.

After a few moments, an asari walked behind Saren, being accompanied by two asari bodyguards. The mature asari cleared her throat, getting Saren's attention.

"We've indentified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy, an Alliance vessel… it was under the command of Captain Anderson." The asari said. Saren widened his eyes a bit, looking at his ally.

"Anderson…? But what about the beacon?" Saren asked the asari. The matriarch waited for a moment, before answering.

"One of the humans used it… after which it was destroyed…" She told. That made Saren stand silently. The massive ship then roared loudly, and Saren clenched his fists in anger, and roared like an animal. The rogue spectre shouted loudly, and paced around for a bit, before suddenly pulling out his M-77 Paladin pistol, and shooting the human hostage. After the human man had fallen down dead, Saren calmed down a bit. The turian panted, and stared at the asari, his face full of anger.

"That human… must be… eliminated!" The furious turian ordered. The asari smiled slightly in pleasure, signaling her bodyguards to follow her, as she walked away. Before Saren could do anything else, one of his turian followers walked to him.

"The council is trying to contact you, sir…" The turian said. Saren's eyes widened a bit, and took a deep breath.

"Well… no reason to let them wait. Jam the tracking signals… they must not know where we are." Saren ordered, making his way towards one of the colony's houses, which had been claimed by the geth forces.

**...**

The Council Tower turbolift came to halt on the top floor, which housed the Citadel Council's chambers, where they occasionally held meetings and other negotiations with the numerous ambassadors. After the elevator had stopped, the glass door slid down in the floor, making John and his team able to exit. The three Alliance soldiers walked inside the large chambers, ascending up a set of stairs.

On top of the stairs, two turians were apparently arguing. The other, younger looking turian wore a black-blue armor, used by the C-Sec police officers. The other, older turian, wore a suit, made for C-Sec officers, who didn't do field work.

"I just need some more time! Stall them." The younger turian police said to his superior. The older turian shook his head in slight disbelief.

"Stall the Council? You're out of your head, Garrus. This isn't going anywhere, your investigation is over." The superior officer said, striking a hostile glance at the younger turian, and then walked away. The young turian officer, with blue face markings, shook his head in frustration. As John walked near him, he seemed to notice the human soldier. The turian turned to look at John.

"Commander Shepard? I'm Garrus Vakarian; I was leading the investigation against Saren… well, up until now." The turian explained. John stroked his chin a bit.

"I guess that didn't go so well, seeing how that other turian reacted…" He noted. Garrus chuckled quietly, looking towards his turian superior officer, who was walking away.

"Executor Pallin is not really forthcoming in doing what's necessary to prove Saren's guilt… bureaucracy has stopped me from proving his guilt, and it pissed me off, to be honest." The turian police officer remarked, shaking his head. John nodded in understatement.

"Well, there'll always be bumps in the road, officer… good luck in the future; I'll do what I can to prove Saren's guiltiness." John assured. Garrus nodded, and smiled a bit, shaking John's hand.

"Good luck, Commander, I hope you'll succeed." The turian said, and left walking towards the elevator, after shaking hands with the human commander.

After the friendly turian police officer had left, John made his way towards the centre of the Council Chambers, where the council was waiting. As he arrived to the audience area, Anderson was waiting at the bottom of a few steps of stairs, which lead to the audience pedestal, where ambassador Udina was talking with the council.

"There you are, come on… the meeting is already under way." The old Alliance captain said, escorting his former ward with him. Ashley and Kaidan stayed back, standing at the back of the pedestal.

As John walked beside Anderson towards the human ambassador, he could see the large hologram of a turian, presumably Saren, looking over the meeting. Udina was fiercely trying to get his word through.

"The geth attack on Eden Prime is a dire problem, but there is nothing to point at Saren's involvement" Councilor Tevos said. Saren nodded his head, crossing his arms.

"These accusations are ludicrous. Nihlus was a good spectre, and an old friend." The turian Spectre said in his defense. Anderson frowned and spoke up.

"That just gave you the chance to get him off guard!" The old human captain accused. Saren smirked a bit, looking at the human captain below him.

"Captain Anderson, what a surprise seeing you here. You're always present when the Alliance makes accusations against me." The turian spectre said, now turning his look at John.

"And this must be your protégé, Commander John Shepard. His performance at Eden Prime was… below average, as I hear…" The turian said mockingly.

"You were the one to attack the colony! And you murdered Nihlus!" John accused, pointing his finger at the spectre. Saren smirked and shook his head.

"My, my… such accusations, young Shepard… and can you possibly prove any of that?" The turian asked. John bit his lip, and frowned heavily, there wasn't any real evidence he could show the council. Saren laughed quietly, seeing the speechless human commander.

"Didn't think so, Shepard. Your failure at the colony just proves why humanity is not ready to join the Council… you're not even ready to join the Spectres." He stated, turning to look at the council. Udina had had enough.

"He has no right to say that! It's not his decision!" The human ambassador yelled. Councilor Tevos seemed to agree, and held her hand up.

"Shepard's admittance into the spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." The calm asari councilor said, looking at the turian spectre. Saren crossed his arms.

"This meeting has no purpose! They have nothing to prove any of these ridiculous accusations! Time is wasting for all of us!" Saren said loudly. Udina wasn't going to give up.

"An eyewitness saw him murder Nihlus in cold blood!" The human said. Councilor Valern cleared his throat, and spoke up.

"Your only eyewitness was one lone dockworker, who was killed by the geth. There is nothing else to verify what he saw, especially if he's dead himself." The salarian Councilor said. Captain Anderson then stepped forward a bit.

"We still have one piece of evidence; Commander Shepard had a vision from the beacon…" The human captain started, only to be cut off by the turian Spectre.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How could I possibly defend myself against such preposterous things?" Saren said, looking at the Councilors. Councilor Sparatus crossed his arms and nodded.

"I agree; our evidence has to be based on provable and demonstrable facts… not some wild dreams or visions had by one individual." The turian Councilor stated.

It looked real bad for John and his allies; they had no way of proving Saren's guilt. Councilor Tevos looked around her fellow councilors. Sparatus shook his head, looking at his colleague. Valern on the other hand stroked his chin, thinking something. Tevos then turned to look upon the three humans, standing on the audience pedestal.

"Do you have more to add, gentlemen?" The asari Councilor asked. Udina frustratingly crossed his arms, and looked at the ground. John sighed quietly.

"You've made your choice, councilors… there's no point…" The human commander remarked. The asari Councilor then nodded, and stood straighter on her pedestal.

"Due to no evidence against Council Spectre Saren Arterius, all of his charges are dropped." Tevos declared. Udina clenched his teeth together, he couldn't believe this failed. Saren looked smug, smirking and glaring at the three humans.

"I'm glad justice was served…" The turian said, and after that, his hologram disappeared. Councilor Tevos quickly glanced at her colleagues, and then looked at John.

"This meeting is adjourned." The Councilor declared, ending the audience with the three humans.

John and Anderson turned around quietly, walking away from the pedestal. Udina stayed for a couple of seconds, trying to think of what had just happened. After that, he quietly walked off as well, holding his head down.

**...**

A few moments later, Udina arrived beside John and Anderson, who were standing in one of the council chamber's waiting rooms. Kaidan and Ashley stood a couple of meters away.

"It was a mistake bringing you here, Anderson… you and Saren share too much history." The human ambassador said. John frowned a bit, not liking the way Udina was accusing his former mentor.

"That doesn't matter, ambassador… Saren is guilty, and we have to find more evidence against him… that's key." The human captain said determinately.

John agreed, but getting that information could prove harder than it seemed.

"What about Garrus, that C-Sec officer? He was investigating Saren." Kaidan suggested. Ashley nodded.

"That's right; he could've founded something we missed." The young sergeant noted. John nodded in agreement; Garrus really seemed to be a good lead.

"Any idea how we can locate him?" John asked Anderson and Udina. The old human captain nodded.

"Yes, I have a contact working at the presidium. His name is Barla Von; he's a volus financial advisor, and an agent for the Shadow Broker." Anderson explained. John raised his eyebrow; he didn't expect Anderson to have acquaintances, who worked for the Shadow Broker, the mysterious and powerful intelligence trader.

"You think he'll know where Garrus is?" John asked his captain. Anderson shrugged his shoulders.

"If not directly, then he'll definitely be able to point you at someone who does know where he is." Anderson explained. John bit his lip and nodded, there weren't any other options.

"You should look into that lead, Shepard. I'll be going through some things with Captain Anderson here, good luck." Udina said, signaling Anderson to follow him.

After that, John signaled Kaidan and Ashley to follow him, and the trio left the council chambers, heading towards the elevator they had arrived on earlier.

**Ten minutes later…**

The calm atmosphere in the Presidium made John feel like home. The lush green trees planted beside the numerous fountains and fake lakes brought the feeling of Earth to the Citadel. The Presidium was the epitome of galactic peace and cooperation, as all the Citadel space species commuted in its numerous high class stores and other entertainment centers.

John leaned over a railing on one of the many small bridges, connecting the two sides of the presidium to each other, between the large lakes. In front of him, and his squad, was the large scale model of a mass relay. The thought of the protheans managing to build all this, and then lose them so abruptly, was suspicious to John, but he still respected the elegant and advanced architecture, that was found on the Citadel.

A lone keeper, a member of the mysterious race of semi-sentient insectoid aliens, who silently took care of the Citadel, working on its countless engines and controls, calmly walked past the three humans. The keepers had been a mystery for as long as the Citadel had been the seat of galactic society, no one knew where they had come from originally, or if they were genetically engineered by the protheans. Kaidan looked at the insect, walking towards a small control panel.

"The keepers never seem to take breaks… their only purpose is just to take care of the Citadel." The young human lieutenant said, observing the alien worker.

"They're kinda freaky, if you ask me…" Ashley said quietly, glancing quickly at the keeper. Kaidan chuckled to that.

"Are all aliens freaky to you?" The young human man asked his partner. Ashley frowned a bit, and shook her head.

"I'm not a racist, Kaidan… I think the other races are as good as us… as long as they contribute to the society as much as we do." Ashley answered. John cleared his throat a bit, and pointed towards a small shop located nearby.

"That's the 'Von financial center'; let's go meet this volus agent." The young human commander said, starting to head towards the store. Ashley and Kaidan followed him, still looking around the beautiful sights of the presidium.

A few moments later, the trio walked in the small building. The store was small, and empty, only one volus was standing behind a corner at the other end of the store. John made his way to that volus, assuming him to be Barla Von. The volus noticed his customers approaching, and put down a small datapad on the counter he stood behind.

"*ghh* What's this? One of the Earth-clan?" The volus said, looking at John, who stopped on the other side of the counter. The volus seemed to recognize him.

"*ghh* Ah, and a famous one. You're the one called Shepard. *ghh* I admire your service during the Skyllian Blitz, truly courageous work. *ghh*" The volus said. John raised his eyebrow, and scratched the back of his head a bit. The volus seemed to know much.

"You've… got me in a disadvantage here…" The human commander said. The volus nodded.

"*ghh* I apologize, Commander. Information is one of my important tools. I am Barla Von, a financial advisor. *ghh* Do you wish to seek for investment advice, or maybe deposit opportunities in many of the banks on the Citadel? *ghh*" Barla Von asked officially, clearly keeping his true allegiance hidden.

"I know you're an agent for the Shadow Broker…" John said, looking at the volus. Barla Von was quiet for a moment, until answering again.

"*ghh* Ah, but of course… Captain Anderson must have told you about that, right? *ghh* I hope he's been successful lately." Barla Von said, before continuing.

"Yes, I am an agent for the Shadow Broker. *ghh* I assume you're in need of some information, Commander? *ghh*" The volus asked John. Nodding, John leaned on the counter.

"Yes, I need to know the location of a C-Sec officer named Garrus Vakarian." He explained. The volus operative nodded, activating his omni-tool, and browsing through numerous holographic pages.

"*ghh* The Shadow Broker doesn't have informants in the C-Sec; he prefers a more… direct approach on things. *ghh* Many officers however are under surveillance, one of them being a human Captain named Harkin *ghh*, he seems to be the superior of this Garrus Vakarian." Barla Von explained, looking through his omni-tool. John nodded, putting that name in his memory.

"So, we'll need to find Harkin, and ask for Garrus' whereabouts… where is Harkin right now?" He asked the volus agent. Barla Von browsed through his omni-tool again, answering a moment later.

"*ghh* He's a regular patron at the Chora's Den nightclub… the owner of the club is also an agent for the Shadow Broker *ghh*… or… well… used to be… *ghh*" Barla Von told John. The young human commander raised his eyebrow.

"Used to be?" He asked. Barla Von closed off his omni-tool, shaking his head.

"*ghh* Nothing you need to be concerned about, Commander. *ghh* The Shadow Broker has everything under control…" The volus agent assured. John nodded, and turned around, signaling his squad to follow behind him.

"Let's go to Chora's Den, and meet this Harkin…" John said, not exactly looking forward to meeting a police officer, who spends his time in a nightclub.

**15 minutes later…**

The booming bass almost blew John's eardrums, as he entered the Chora's Den nightclub with his two team mates. As they looked around, the three human soldiers could really only see drunken patrons, and dancing strippers. Kaidan cleared his throat a bit, looking at the dancers.

"Uh… I can see why this place is popular…" The young lieutenant said. Ashley smirked, and playfully closed her companion's mouth with her hand on his jaw.

"Hey, don't make me slip on your drool, lieutenant." The young sergeant said, smirking a bit.

"Cut the chatter, let's find Harkin." John cut in quickly, looking around the club.

Soon enough, John spotted a middle aged human man in C-Sec uniform, sitting at a table, a drink in his hand. Rolling his eyes, John made his way over to the fallen officer.

As they approached Harkin, John and his companions saw a big krogan arguing nearby with a krogan, and two human bouncers.

"Just leave, Wrex, Fist ain't coming out." The krogan bouncer said to the other krogan. The krogan with a red head crest took a step forward.

"No matter if he's coming out, let him know this; I will kill him." The krogan threatened. The krogan bouncer didn't seem to be concerned.

"Talk all you want, Wrex… it's not getting you anywhere." The bouncer said. The krogan named Wrex shook his head, and turned around, heading away from the bouncers. Before continuing further, Wrex turned around, and glanced at the bouncers.

"And if I hear that Fist did something to that little girl, I'll cut off his balls, and eat them!" The krogan threatened, before turning around again, and heading out. Harkin, who sat nearby, chuckled and opened his mouth.

"Yeah, that's right… get out of here, you brute." The slightly drunken human said. Wrex glanced at the police officer, and calmly walked to him, suddenly smashing his hand on the table, making it hit the human man straight in his jaw, throwing him off his seat. After that, the krogan walked away, bumping into John a bit.

"Out of my way, I've got no quarrel with you…" The krogan said quietly, heading out of the club. Not really wanting to pay more attention to it, John just walked to Harkin, who slowly got up, and sat back on his seat. The human man saw his new company arriving beside him.

"Alliance military, eh? I was going to recruit, when I was young, but instead came to work at C-Sec… biggest mistake of my life…" The officer lamented. John didn't really care to hear the drunken man's life story, so he cut to the chase.

"Harkin, right? I was told you could point me to one of your subordinates. A turian officer named Garrus Vakarian." John explained. Harkin chuckled quietly, taking a sip of his drink.

"Garrus… what a pushover, wanting nothing more than to prove himself to be more than just a pointless police grunt… yeah, sure… I think I know where he is…" Harkin said, staying quiet then, and continuing to drink.

"So… where is he?" John asked, raising his eyebrow. Harkin burped quietly, making Ashley roll her eyes in disgust.

"If I were to guess, he's sniffing around Dr. Michel's clinic again… he either has the hots for that doctor, or thinks that something's going on there…" The human police officer said. John nodded, and slowly turned around.

"Have fun… officer." He said, starting to walk away from Harking.

"Yeah… just let me drink in peace…" The pathetic officer said, continuing to jug down the drink.

After that, John walked out of the nightclub with his squad, sighing a bit.

"Okay… so now let's head out to this Dr. Michel's clinic." He said, walking off the premises of Chora's Den, Kaidan and Ashley closely following.

**Ten minutes later…**

Dr. Michel's clinic was located nearby, in the wards near Chora's Den. John walked to the front door of the medical office, opening it. As soon as he entered the clinic with his squad, he saw Garrus crouching down behind a wall, quickly putting a finger on his mouth, to signal John and his squad to be quiet. John then noticed two human men standing in front of a woman in doctor's uniform, threatening her.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" The doctor said, pleading the three men. The leading grunt smirked.

"Smart move, doc… now, if Garrus comes around, you just-" The man said, but was cut short, when he noticed John and his squad at the doorway. The goon grabbed Dr. Michel, and drew a pistol on her forehead.

"Who are you!?" The grunt demanded, threatening the doctor with his pistol. In a second, John and his squad had their weapons pointed at the criminals.

"Let her go!" John ordered. Before anything else happened, Garrus quickly emerged from behind his cover, and shot the man holding Dr. Michel straight through his head. Blood splattered, as the goon fell on the ground, dead. The two other criminals gasped, and stepped back, but Garrus took them out too, shooting one of them through the head, and the other through his chest. After the men were dead, Garrus turned to John.

"Good timing, Shepard. Your distraction gave me a clear shot at him." The turian police officer said. John put away his pistol, looking at the three dead criminals.

"You took him out clean… but it was risky… he had a hostage." John said, reminding Garrus about Dr. Michel, who stood in place, being frightened. Garrus quickly walked to the doctor, and started comforting her.

"Dr. Michel… are you alright? It's okay now." The turian said softly. The human doctor nodded, wiping off her tears.

"Yes… yes, I'm alright, Garrus… thank you." The woman said, looking at her savior. Dr. Michel then quickly but softly kissed Garrus' cheek, making John and his team raise their eyebrows. Garrus blushed a bit for that, and cleared his throat. As time was wasting, John took a couple of steps forward.

"I hope you're alright, doctor. What were those men doing here?" John asked the young woman, who was leaning on Garrus.

"They were… sent by Fist… he wanted to make sure I hadn't told anyone about the quarian…" Michel explained, her voice still shaking a bit. John raised his eyebrow.

"What quarian?" He asked. Michel swallowed, and started telling her story.

"Not too long ago, there was this young quarian girl, who came to seek help. She was injured, and scared. I helped her, and she told me that she was going to meet Fist, hoping to find safety in exchange for some information." The woman explained. John's eyes widened, that quarian could have some information on Saren. Before he could talk, Garrus spoke up.

"Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore… I think he's answering to Saren now." The turian officer said. Michel looked surprised.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him." The woman said, shaking her head. John quickly looked at Garrus.

"We need to get to Fist now! If the quarian went to him, he could've already given her to Saren!" He said in haste, time was running out. Garrus nodded his head.

"We should head to Chora's Den immediately. I also hear that the Shadow Broker has a krogan mercenary called Wrex after Fist… we might get his help in getting to him." Garrus suggested. John assumed that Wrex was the same krogan they saw earlier, but he shook his head.

"We have no time! We need to find that quarian now!" John said determinately. As the three Alliance soldiers were about to leave, Garrus got John's attention.

"Commander, wait. I know this is your fight… but, I want on it." The turian police officer said. John raised his eyebrow.

"But, you're with C-Sec." The human commander said. Garrus nodded.

"Yes… well… I think I won't be for long, this business with Saren has really put me on edge with my superiors." He explained. John thought for a second, and then offered his hand to the young turian.

"Welcome aboard then, Garrus." He said, smiling. Garrus shook his hand, smiling thankfully.

"Thank you, Shepard. I won't let you down, I promise." The turian assured.

After that, John led his three squadmates towards Chora's Den again.

**Later..**

As the four-man squad approached the entrance to the nightclub, they immediately noticed that something was up.

"It looks closed." Garrus noted, looking at the entrance.

Suddenly the sound of gunshots alerted John and his squad. John frowned a bit.

"Let's go." He ordered, rushing in to the club.

As the four soldiers entered the nightclub, they immediately noticed how ravaged it was. There were corpses lying around everywhere, and much of the club's properties were destroyed or damaged.

As John walked more in to the club, his squad right behind him, he noticed a turian man, walking to an injured guard, and cold bloodily executing him. The turian then noticed the intruders, raising his rifle at them.

"Wrex! We have company." The turian soldier yelled, pointing his gun at John.

After a moment, the same brutish krogan warrior walked to the turian, seeing John and his squad.

"You again? What do you want, human?" The krogan warrior, Wrex asked, reloading his Claymore shotgun. John frowned, and took a couple of steps forward.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance. Put your weapons down, we're here for Fist." John explained. Telling his name seemed to surprise Wrex, whose eyes widened a bit. The krogan brute put his hand on his turian companion's rifle, lowering it.

"Shepard, eh? I've heard a lot about you. You're a strong warrior, Shepard, like me… that is respectable." The krogan said, smirking a bit. John raised his eyebrow, not being sure how to react.

"You want Fist? Well, so do us. Me and Solis here came to do the Shadow Broker's dirty work." Wrex explained, the turian beside him nodding his head. John shook his head.

"I need information from Fist, I need him alive." He said clearly. Wrex nodded.

"Sure, whatever… but he dies after it." The krogan warrior said, walking off the club's main lobby with his turian companion. John frowned a bit, and signaled his squad to follow him.

A few moments later, they arrived at Fist's private quarters. Wrex simply kicked the door in, and walked inside with Solis beside him. As John entered the room with his squad, he saw Wrex already holding Fist at gunpoint, who was shaking.

"Please… don't kill me. What do you want?" The scared human thug asked. Solis shook his head, and quickly kneecapped Fist in his stomach, making him fall on his knees. John walked in front of the thug, taking out his pistol as well. Being though was the only option now.

"Tell me where the quarian is, and I won't blow off your kneecaps." He demanded angrily. Wrex chuckled a bit to that. Fist shook a bit, being scared.

"She's not her anymore, I sent her to meet some men." He explained hastily. John sighed in frustration, violently pulling Fist up, and pressing his pistol against the thug's chin.

"Tell me where, now!" The commander demanded. Fist quickly replied.

"In an alley nearby, I swear! I sent her to meet the Shadow Broker, but she didn't know that no one meets him personally… so… I lied to her. But instead of Shadow Broker or any of his men, she'll meet Saren's men." The human thug explained. John's eyes widened, and he quickly holstered his pistol, making his way out of the room.

Wrex then smirked, and grabbed Fist's head with one hand, snapping his head. As Fist fell dead on the floor, Ashley gasped and grabbed John's arm, pointing at Wrex.

"No time, Ashley! We need to get to that quarian now!" He said, not wanting to waste time on arguing about killing a gangster, who might have killed an innocent girl, and cost them a information giver on Saren.

**Three minutes later…**

John rushed past many people, running into an alley near the Chora's Den. His squad followed him closely, Wrex and Solis also tagging along. A few moments later, they arrived at the meeting point. They could see a young quarian standing in front of three turian men, who talked with her. John hastily walked towards them.

"Did you bring it?" One of the turians asked. The quarian girl looked suspicious.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" She asked. The turian smirked a bit, and took a step closer to her.

"Don't worry about that, just give us the evidence." The turian said then. The girl took a couple of steps back then.

"No way. The deal's off…" She said. The three turians then glanced at each other, and started to walk towards the quarian threateningly.

The girl was completely unarmed, and would've stood no chance against the three turian soldiers. But suddenly, the three turians were surrounded by blue energy, and flung back. John lifted the turian men in the air with his biotic powers, slamming them down on the ground, destroying their armor, and breaking their bones. After that, he walked to the quarian, ordering his squadmates to shoot the turian thugs. The quarian girl backed away a bit again, not being sure whether to be grateful, or scared.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The quarian asked quietly. John lifted his hand to calm her.

"It's alright; we're here to keep you safe." He assured. The quarian was quiet for a moment, before then nodding.

"Okay… I… I believe you. Who are you?" She asked. John smiled a bit, and introduced himself.

"My name is John Shepard; I'm a commander in the Alliance Navy." He said in a friendly tone. The quarian girl's eyes widened, as John said his name. She seemed to suddenly get even more nervous.

"Oh… oh…. oh… I… I see… well, I… I thank you, Commander. I'm in your dept…. Fist set me up." The girl stuttered quietly. John smiled, and walked to the girl, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I know… but don't worry; I'll keep you safe now." He assured. The quarian looked straight into his eyes, and John felt his heart jump. It was as if he'd seen those eyes before, but he couldn't remember when or where. Ashley seemed to raise her eyebrow in annoyance, as she saw the two look each other for a long time.

"Uh… well, I… I suppose you rescued me for this data I hold?" The quarian asked. John quickly came to his senses from his sudden daydream, and nodded quickly.

"Oh… yes! Yes, absolutely, miss." He said, smiling a bit, being embarrassed. The girl then giggled quietly.

"Hih, well, I'll be more than happy to give it to you, in exchange for protection." She said then. John nodded again, blushing a bit.

"Yes, yes… I'll protect you… I mean, the Alliance will… heh…" He said quickly.

Kaidan then cleared his throat, getting the two's attention.

"We should take her to ambassador Udina, he wants to see this evidence himself. I'm sure." The young lieutenant suggested. Ashley huffed quietly.

"Yeah, we should get this over with fast…" She said, crossing her arms, in a bit annoyed manner. Garrus nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we now have the evidence against Saren, hopefully." The turian said.

John then quickly looked at the quarian girl, smiling, and showing her to come with him and his squad. As she nodded, and started to follow, the group then left the alley, heading back to the presidium.

As they walked, the girl constantly glanced at John, thinking to herself.

"Can it really be him? I thought he died…" She though in her head. She quickly then looked the other way, as John glanced over his shoulder to her. John could swear he had met this quarian before, but he had no idea when or where, and it bothered him.

****Okay, finally, here's chapter seven for you! **

**I'm sorry it took this long, but I spent nearly two weeks in Germany with my girlfriend. I can now continue working on this.**

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed making it. I decided not to go into much detail in the Citadel running around, since to be fair… it's boring as hell. **

**I also won't really do any side missions in this story, only those which are important to the main plot and stuff.**

**Please give me reviews, guys; I'm really disappointed to see that only one of you (Phil) does review regularly. I thank him for the effort, and hope really badly, that more of you will write them… it's like the payment for me to write these for you, and entertain you, dear readers.**

**But anyway, have a good one, and have a nice spring!****


	9. Chapter 8: The First Human Spectre

**Chapter 8: The First Human Spectre**

The high orbit of the small moon of Xanes was filled with dozens of geth cruisers and frigates, as well as hundreds of fighters. The small human colony had been destroyed completely, and the geth fleet was leaving their destruction site. The massive alien dreadnaught, the flagship of the large geth fleet, floated slowly in the empty space, being surrounded by the hundreds of geth ships.

Inside the huge vessel, Saren Arterius leaned on a wall, holding his head with his left hand, as if he'd have a bad headache. Behind him, his asari ally walked from behind a corner, clearing her throat to get the turian's attention. Saren grunted and opened his eyes, which were glowing brightly blue, like a husk's eyes. The turian Spectre traitor blinked once, and the glow was gone. Saren turned around and looked at his ally.

"What is it?" The turian asked in a raspy voice. The asari matriarch, dressed in a long black dress, and a black idyllic headdress, walked to a small console, and activated it. A hologram of a planet appeared between the two then.

"Our scouts have located what you were looking for. Feros; a small human colony world in the Theseus system, in the Attican Beta cluster; we believe the Thorian is located somewhere on the planet." The asari explained, looking at the planet's hologram, adding a blip on top of a large area.

"The old ruins of the prothean city of Thesy'lia is now the headquarters for the human colonists, named Zhu's Hope. Our scouts met no resistance at the local Exogeni Corporation's offices, located in a prothean skyscraper's ruins." She continued. Saren stroked his chin, his mandibles twitching.

"They conquered the building?" The turian Spectre asked. The asari matriarch nodded her head.

"Yes, they are now waiting for orders." She explained. Saren nodded, and sighed a bit.

"Tell the geth to get any information out of the scientist and staff, if nothing comes up, or we get what we need, they are obligated to execute the entire population…." The turian ordered. The asari advisor was quiet for a moment, but nodded then.

"As you wish." She answered, walking out of the room. Before she left however, Saren grunted and got her attention. The turian was shaking a bit.

"Do not forget…. I need one of your servants on Feros… I will take the majority of the fleet there. You will go to Noveria with a small task force." Saren said in a raspy voice. The asari matriarch raised her eyebrows.

"Are you sure it's wise to take a risk with Noveria? The rachni are unpredictable…" She said, being a bit unsure. Saren's eyes widened, and he suddenly charged a bit forward, grabbing his advisor by her arms.

"Do not question me! We need the rachni! If they're really back…. I need their power!" The turian yelled in a small rage. His ally kept herself calm, looking directly into the deranged turian's eyes. After a moment, Saren let go of her, panting a bit.

"What about your daughter? Have our scouts located her?" He asked, calming his breath. The asari's eyes widened just a bit, and she shook her head.

"We don't know her exact location… but we believe she's somewhere in the Knossos system, in the Artemis Tau cluster…" She answered quietly. Saren nodded, his mandibles twitching even more rapidly now.

"Good, good… I'll send a part of the fleet to look for her… we need her help as well." The turian said, turning around, and walking towards a chair, surrounded by countless tubes and other electrical equipment. As Saren sat down on the chair, he looked at his asari ally.

"Follow my orders, Benezia… go to Noveria… now." The turian spectre said, turning his head back, and closing his eyes. After that, the asari matriarch took a deep breath, and walked out of the room, vanishing from sight.

As Saren sat on the chair, he suddenly started holding his head. Various sounds and noises filled his head, making him grunt in pain. The turian squeezed his hands into fists, grunting rather loudly.

"Argh! Stop it! Uunh." He grunted, holding his head. A strong metallic voice echoed in his head, making his brain hurt.

"**I can sense your fear, Saren… you have doubts**." The voice said in his head. Saren squeezed his fists even harder.

"No! I fear nothing! I'm a Spectre!" The turian fought against the demeaning voice. The voice continued to speak to him.

"**Doubting your strength is a weakness…**" The voice remarked. That made Saren roar like an animal. The turian Spectre pushed himself violently up from the chair, throwing aside a small tray, lying on the armrest.

"I am NOT weak!" He shouted, looking up at the ceiling. The voice was quiet for a bit, before speaking to him again, making Saren hold his head again in pain.

"**You will see that you lack the required strength to defeat all your enemies, Saren… you know I can provide that strength to you…**" The voice suggested. Saren was quiet for a moment, before yelling again.

"No! I will succeed without them, I assure you!" The turian Spectre yelled, sitting on his chair again, breathing heavily.

"**So be it… but I know you'll change your mind…**" The voice answered, and after that, stayed quiet. Saren sighed in relief, as his pain was now gone.

Outside the small room, the massive alien ship floated slowly with the rest of the geth fleet, setting its course towards Feros.

**...**

The shiny metallic floor on one of the alleys in the Grandur Ward of the Citadel trembled, as the large krogan warrior Wrex stomped behind John and his small squad. The old battlemaster had decided to ally himself with the young human commander in his fight against Saren. Wrex respected honorable warriors, and never wanted to miss a big fight.

The young quarian girl, who John had rescued earlier, still showed her gratitude and thanks for her earlier rescue. She and John walked beside each other, the young human talking to her in friendly manner. Ashley walked right behind them, and clearly showed a bit of irritation on her face.

The turian mercenary Solis, who accompanied Wrex, was looking around a bit nervously. Wrex had noticed his partner acting strangely ever since they had rescued the quarian.

Suddenly, the turian mercenary fixed his eyes on the young quarian, and quickly drew his rifle, aiming at her. John, who randomly glanced behind himself, saw the turian aiming his weapon at the just rescued damsel. The commander reacted in an instant, wrapping his arms around the quarian, and pulling her away from the turian's line of fire.

Just as Solis was about to fire, the strong krogan hand of Wrex grabbed the barrel of his rifle, and crushed it. The mighty krogan warrior then grabbed his traitorous partner by his throat, lifting him up in the air.

"Thought I could trust you not to stoop this low, Solis…" Wrex said, strangling his now former companion. John calmly let go of the quarian girl he just had saved again, and walked beside Wrex, looking at the turian traitor, who was struggling in the krogan's grip.

"You… have no idea…. what's at stake, Wrex… Shepard is going to doom us all…" The turian mercenary said, struggling to get air. John frowned, as he listened to the turian's words. Wrex chuckled a bit, still strangling Solis.

"And Saren then will save us all by destroying human colonies with the geth?" The krogan warlord asked. Solis coughed, starting to really lose air.

"Saren… is only doing a favor… for the galaxy… some die… for the good of everyone else…" Solis explained, his eyes starting to lose focus. Wrex growled quietly, pulling Solis straight to his face.

"Like they did with the genophage?" The krogan asked, looking straight into his partner's eyes. After that, Wrex suddenly crushed the turian merc's throat, killing him instantly. The krogan warlord dropped the dead turian on the floor, breathing quite heavily through his nostrils. John wasn't so happy about that execution, and tapped Wrex's shoulder, getting the krogan's attention.

"You shouldn't have killed him; we could've gotten information out of him." The young commander said. Wrex shrugged his shoulders, walking past John.

"Old habits die hard, I guess…" He said plainly, walking past Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus.

After the krogan had walked past her, Ashley turned to look at John, her face clearly saying "he's going to be trouble". John sighed a bit, and signaled his followers to come with him. He walked to the quarian girl, and started to escort her towards ambassador Udina's apartment again, with a slight smile.

**Ten minutes later…**

Ambassador Udina frustratingly sighed, as John approached him from behind, having arrived a moment ago.

"You're not making my life easy, Shepard… firefights in the wards, an all out slaughter at Chora's Den, do you know how many-" Udina said, being cut short, as he noticed John's rather strange squad, looking at the quarian and Wrex. The ambassador raised his eyebrows.

"What's this? A krogan and a quarian? What are you up to, Commander?" Udina asked, glancing between John and his alien allies. John put his hands behind his back, standing straight.

"I believe this young quarian can help us prove Saren's guilt." John answered, quickly looking at the quarian girl.

"Oh… I see. Well, that certainly is good news for a change…" The ambassador said, turning to look at the girl. Anderson also walked beside Udina, wanting to hear what's going on.

"Perhaps we should start from the beginning, miss…?" The ambassador asked, looking at the quarian. The girl quickly glanced at John, and then started talking.

"My name is Tali… Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." The girl introduced herself.

That name snapped something in John's brain, his eyes widened a lot. Where had he heard that name before? It was so familiar. As John spent the next seconds pondering on where he had heard that name before, Udina continued the conversation with Tali.

"We don't see many quarians around here, why did you leave the flotilla?" The ambassador asked her. Tali quickly glanced at John again, before answering again.

"I was on my pilgrimage, my rite of passage." She explained. John knew about the quarian pilgrimages; whenever a quarian would reach maturity by turning 22, they'd leave the Migrant Fleet, in order to provide something valuable for the fleet. Quarians held the good of the fleet above most other things in their life, all of them were a one big "family".

John then shook his head, still thinking of Tali's name; he still couldn't figure out where he had heard her name before. Not wanting to drift off to his thoughts, he opened his mouth.

"What did you find?" He asked the young quarian girl. Tali turned to look at John, and started explaining.

"A few weeks before the geth attacked Eden Prime, they began to move rapidly throughout the Terminus Systems. Since the geth haven't left the Veil for three centuries, I got curious about why they are here now. I followed a small geth patrol on a small moon, and waited for one of them to split up from the group, and then I deactivated it, and harvested its memory core." Tali explained. Anderson raised his eyebrows, and spoke up.

"I thought the geth fry their memory cores, after being deactivated." The older human captain said. John noted that, looking at Tali.

"How were you able to keep the memory core from destroying itself?" He asked the quarian girl. Tali chuckled quietly.

"I'm a quarian, my people created the geth… we know them better than anyone. I was quick and efficient, so I was able to remove the core, before the unit self-destructed its inner programs and memory cores." Tali explained, smiling behind her mask. Ashley rolled her eyes at the other end of the room, being a bit annoyed.

"But anyway, I recovered this audio file from the memory core, and I'm certain it'll be of use to you." Tali said, activating her omni-tool. Udina stroked his chin, as he prepared to hear the audio file. As the audio file started playing, they all could recognize Saren's voice immediately.

"Eden Prime will be a major victory… the beacon will bring us one step closer in finding the Conduit…" The turian Spectre's voice said. But then suddenly, another voice emerged.

"…and one step closer to the return of the Reapers…." A female voice said, after which the audio-log ended. John, Anderson and Udina all were pleasantly surprised about this finding.

"That's definitely Saren's voice… I don't recognize the woman's voice, but that doesn't matter much." Udina said, stroking his chin. Anderson nodded.

"Yes, what's important is that this evidence proves Saren's guilt." The Alliance captain said. John agreed, this was the proof they needed.

"We have him now; we just need to show this to the Council." He said determinately. Kaidan seemed to think about something, and spoke up.

"Wait… what are these 'Reapers'? The audio-log referred to them." The young lieutenant asked Tali. The quarian girl started explaining.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced species of sentient machines that existed 50 000 years ago. The Reapers were the reason the Prothean Empire vanished, they hunted the protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished into thin air… or that's what the geth believe, at least." Tali explained. Udina frowned a bit, and crossed his arms.

"A bit far fetched, I think, I don't think we can commit to anything like that yet…" The ambassador thought. Anderson nodded in agreement.

"Whatever the reapers are, they are not the main concern at the moment, John… Saren is, and finding him, and this Conduit he was talking about." The Captain explained. John nodded silently, but then suddenly realized something.

"Wait… the vision I had on Eden Prime… I understand it now. I saw the protheans being wiped out the Reapers…" He said to the two humans in front of him.

"The geth revere the Reapers as their gods… the pinnacle of synthetic life and evolution, and they believe that Saren is the way to their return." Tali spoke up, explaining it further. Anderson stroked his chin in his thoughts.

"Well… we need to make sure that doesn't happen, if it's true…" The old captain said. Udina nodded in agreement, and activated his omni-tool.

"I will upload that audio-log now, Miss Zorah. We'll go request another audience with the Council now, Shepard, come meet us at the Council chambers soon." The ambassador advised, closing off his omni-tool, and asking Anderson to come with him.

After the two had left, John turned to look at his squad, and Tali.

"What do we do now? Especially with her?" Garrus asked, looking at the quarian girl. Tali frowned frustratingly under her helmet, glancing at the turian.

"My name is Tali!" She said quickly, before turning to look at John.

"I can assure you that I can fight, Commander… let me help you stop Saren." The young quarian asked. John raised his eyebrow.

"I thought you're on your pilgrimage?" He asked. Tali nodded, but explained.

"I know, but this is much more important, than me simply proving my worth for the fleet. What could I say to myself, if I didn't offer my help to stop the most dangerous person in the galaxy? Let me help you… John." She said, looking into John's eyes. John's heart jumped to his throat, why did this quarian girl feel so familiar? After a moment, he smiled slightly, and nodded.

"I'll take whatever help I can get, Tali… welcome aboard." He said in a friendly manner, and shook Tali's hand. After that, Ashley cleared her throat, and got their attention.

"We should get to the council chamber, Commander." She said. John nodded.

"Right, let's go people." He said, signaling his squad to come with him.

**Eleven minutes later…**

The Council chambers were filled with people now, many diplomats had gathered around the overlooking balconies, listening to the audio-log Tali had given Udina. John approached the audience pedestal, where Anderson was waiting for him.

"There you are, Udina is presenting the evidence now." The old captain said, starting to escort his protégé towards the human ambassador, who was presenting the to the council. John's team stayed at the end of the audience pedestal.

"Eden Prime will be a major victory… the beacon will bring us one step closer in finding the Conduit…" Saren's voice said in the audio file. The council was listening closely to the evidence.

"…and one step closer to the return of the Reapers…" said the unknown woman's voice.

After that, the human ambassador frowned, as he looked at the three Councilors, standing behind their pedestals.

"You wanted proof? There it is." Udina said, crossing his arms. The three council members looked at each other, Sparatus widening his eyes, and shaking his head.

"This evidence is irrefutable, ambassador… Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status, and we'll make all our efforts to capture him." The turian councilor said. Councilor Tevos nodded, and then spoke up.

"I recognize the other voice, it is matriarch Benezia." She explained. John raised his eyebrow. He knew how influential asari matriarchs were in their society, but that one would've betrayed her people to ally with Saren, was beyond his comprehension.

"Asari matriarchs are highly respected advisors and diplomats on our homeworld of Thessia. Matriarch Benezia is one the most respected and influential matriarchs in our history, and she has many followers. If she has allied herself with Saren, she's bound to have many of her followers at her side as well…" The asari councilor explained. Salarian councilor Valern nodded, and spoke up.

"I'm interested in these Reapers… do we know what they are?" The Councilor asked, turning to look at the three humans at the audience pedestal.

"Based on the evidence we've gathered, they were an advanced species of machines that wiped out the protheans." John explained. The Council glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"Are you sure? Where would've these Reapers gone after destroying the protheans? We've found no evidence of any such war or conflict, which caused the protheans' disappearance. This must be a false assumption." Councilor Sparatus said. John shook his head in protest.

"The geth believe the Reapers to be their gods, and they believe Saren will bring them back to the galaxy, possibly by using the Conduit. The Reapers destroyed the protheans 50 000 years ago, and they'll do it again, if Saren succeeds." John insisted. Councilor Tevos in turn spoke up.

"Even if what you say is true, doesn't stopping Saren remain the primary objective?" The asari asked. John was quiet for a second, and Anderson stepped in.

"Yes, Councilor, but we must also consider the consequences, if the Reapers truly are real. Saren is after this Conduit, we need to find it, before he does, or we'll all be in danger." Anderson explained. John nodded, and spoke up.

"You doubted me, when we accused Saren; I promise you that this is true as well…" The young commander insisted. Councilor Valern shook his head.

"This is different, Commander… you proved Saren's guilt. But the Reapers seem to only be a myth." The salarian councilor said, crossing his arms. John was about to protest, but Anderson placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"What will you do with Saren, now?" Anderson asked the councilors.

"We will send word to our outposts, and the fleets protecting our worlds and colonies will be put on high alert." Sparatus explained. Udina's eyes widened, and he stepped in.

"That is not good enough! Saren still threatens our colonies! Send your fleets in!" The human ambassador demanded. Valern shook his head.

"A fleet cannot track down one man, ambassador." The salarian said. Udina sighed in slight frustration.

"Ah, the Citadel Fleet could secure the mass relays in Citadel space, and your other fleets could help us keep the geth attacking more of our colonies." He said. Sparatus couldn't believe the suggestion.

"That would risk a war with the Terminus Systems and the batarians, ambassador! We won't position our fleets near the border, just because there's a chance of Saren attacking again." The turian councilor said strongly. John then thought of a compromise, and spoke up.

"Wait, we don't need to send fleets after him. I can take him down myself." The commander assured. Councilor Tevos seemed to agree, and nodded.

"The Commander's right! There is one way to avoid any conflicts, and still send a force after Saren." She said, looking at councilor Sparatus, whose eyes widened, as he knew what his colleague was suggesting.

"No! It's too soon! They're not ready yet." The turian councilor protested. John raised his eyebrow, wondering if this was about his acceptance into the Spectres. Udina seemed to realize it as well, and spoke up.

"It is the best choice! Shepard proved himself at Eden Prime, he's ready!" The human ambassador insisted, which made John roll his eyes; the ambassador had changed his mind pretty quickly.

After that, councilor Tevos continued to look at Sparatus, who sighed quietly, and nodded his head. The three councilors then activated something on their consoles, which stood in front of them on the pedestals. After that, councilor Tevos looked at John.

"Commander John Shepard, please step forward." The asari councilor said. John quickly turned to look at Anderson, who smiled and encouragingly nodded his head. After that, the young commander stepped forward on the pedestal, firmly standing in attention.

"It has come to the Council's agreement, that you will be granted the position of an agent in the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel Council." Councilor Tevos stated. Many people standing on the overlooking balconies started to lean on the railings, looking at what's happening.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fires of battle and service, those whose actions elevate them above both rank, and file." Councilor Valern said, putting his arms behind him, standing straight in attention. After that, it was Sparatus' turn.

"Spectres represent the Council in all of their actions; they are above every law in the galaxy, and have the responsibility of entire nations on their shoulders." The turian councilor explained. After that, Tevos spoke up.

"The Spectres are the right hand of the council, they are our first and last line of defense and to them; we trust our lives." The asari councilor stated. John stood silently in attention, not being really sure how to think of this great honor.

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander; this is a huge achieved for both you and your species." Tevos said, smiling while looking at John. The young Commander respectfully bowed his head to the three Council members.

"I am honored, councilors." John said in awe and respect. After that, councilor Valern crossed his arms again, and spoke up.

"Your first assignment as a council Spectre is to locate and bring Saren to justice. We trust this mission for you with confidence." The salarian explained. John nodded, having understood the orders.

"I'll stop him, you can count on it." The human Spectre assured. Councilor Tevos nodded, and smiled.

"This meeting is adjourned." The asari declared, and after that, the three council members walked away from their pedestals.

**...**

A few moments later, John walked from the audience pedestal, coming beside Anderson and Udina. The human ambassador and captain both shook hands with the newly appointed Spectre.

"Congratulations, John." Anderson said, smiling widely. John smiled back, still being a bit overwhelmed by this surprising turn of events. Udina stroked his chin in his thoughts.

"Alright, Shepard… you'll need a crew, a ship, and supplies." The human ambassador said. Anderson nodded.

"Yes, and you'll also be able to requisition unique items from the Spectre armory." He explained. John nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, but I think my most urgent matter is to find Saren." The Commander said. Udina nodded.

"Yes, yes, that'll be important. Now, Shepard, me and Captain Anderson will have to look into a few things, come meet us at hangar bay, where the Normandy is docked, later; we'll have more information to you then." Udina said, to which John nodded in understatement.

After that, the two humans left the council chamber's premises. Ashley chuckled quietly.

"Wow, would've thought that the ambassador to be more thankful than that." The human sergeant noted. John shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, he is a politician, Ashley." He said, to which Ash laughed a bit, and nodded. John then looked at his team mates.

"Okay, I'll need to do a few things. I'll see you all at the spaceport lobby in an hour, before that, you're free to go about your business. Dismissed." He said. After that, most of the team nodded their heads, and left the area. Ashley and Kaidan saluted him, before they left too, walking alongside Garrus. Wrex went his own way, apparently looking around the council chambers. Tali stayed standing in front of John, which made him raise his eyebrow.

"What is it?" He asked curiously. Tali fiddled with her fingers, which again seemed so very familiar to John.

"Well… uh, I… I'm not sure where to go exactly." She said quietly. John raised his eyebrow a bit, before then smiling sweetly, and patting the girl's shoulder.

"It's okay, Tali. Here, let me upload a map on your omni-tool." He said, activating his holographic tool, sending a program to Tali's one, which she received.

"Oh… thank you, I... I hope this won't get me lost." The young girl said, stuttering a bit. John smiled, and laughed quietly.

"You're cute." He let out quietly, immediately after which he then took it back.

"Oh, I mean… I… uh… I say that to a lot girls…. Yeah…" He stuttered, scratching the back of his head. Tali giggled just a bit, blushing a bit behind her helmet.

Suddenly, John could hear a familiar voice behind him.

"Well, look who's a badass Spectre now. You've outdone yourself, Johnny." A female voice said. John's eyes widened, and he quickly turned his head around, seeing a truly pleasantly surprising sight.

His sister Jane was standing a few meters behind him, smiling widely, and having her hands on her hips. Her black hair with a few red strands was wavy and reaching her shoulders, a bit shorter than the last time John had seen her. As Tali fiddled with her fingers again, looking at what was happening. John quickly ran to his sister, and embraced her, tightly keeping her in his arms.

"Jane! When did you come back to the Citadel?" John asked cheerfully, being so happy to see his sister again. Jane laughed a bit, and gently kissed her brother's cheek.

"Just yesterday, seems like you've been busy, big brother… being a Spectre now, hunting Saren and stuff." She said, smiling at her brother.

"Well, you're informed well, sis." John noted, smirking a bit. Jane winked her eye at her brother.

"You know my work; it's my job to know everything." The young Alliance intel officer said. After that, Jane noticed the young quarian girl standing behind John, and her eyes widened.

"Well, is this one of your friends, John?" She asked her brother. John remembered, that Tali was still there, and quickly cleared his throat.

"Oh, right… Jane, this is Tali, one of my new crewmembers. She helped me find evidence against Saren." The commander explained, placing his hand on Tali's shoulder. Jane's eyes widened again.

"Tali? Tali'Zorah?" She asked, looking at the quarian.

Uh, yes… yes I am… Jane Shepard." Tali answered, clearly also recognizing the human female. Jane quickly glanced at John, and then looked back at Tali, and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm glad my brother has something to keep his mind on." She said, smirking at John, who raised his eyebrow at Jane. Tali smiled behind her helmet. John then looked at his quarian companion.

"Oh, Tali… could I have a few moments with my sister? I'll see you at the spaceport lobby later, alright?" He asked, smiling friendly. Tali quickly nodded, and smiled.

"Sure, I'll see you there. See you." She said quickly, and left, clearly being a bit embarrassed.

As John looked at the quarian girl walking away, he suddenly felt a slap on the back of his head. He then turned to look at his sister, who looked at him.

"You seriously didn't recognize her, John?" Jane asked, raising her eyebrows at him in disappointment. John raised his eyebrow, being confused.

"What…?" He asked. Jane rolled her eyes.

"That's Tali! The girl we met eight years ago! She was the girl you showed Philadelphia to, the day of the accident." She explained.

Now John remembered, he remembered it all. For all these years he had wondered what really happened that day, the explosion had erased some of his memory, and only now, did he finally remember everything. He quickly turned to look at Tali again, who was almost out of his view.

"She…. She was the girl?" He asked quietly. Jane nodded, and crossed her arms. John opened his mouth a bit.

"My goodness… she's even more beautiful than I remembered…" John said. Jane chuckled, and tugged her brother's sleeve.

"That's the John I know, always after the pretty girls." She said, walking past her brother. John smirked a bit, and followed his sister.

"Well, better than to be after ugly girls, eh?" The commander said. Jane rolled her eyes.

"Sure, whatever you say, sweetie." She said, walking beside her brother towards the elevator John had arrived on earlier.

**20 minutes later…**

The Shepard siblings walked beside each other on a walkway in the presidium. They had talked about many things, not having been together for months. As they walked past a small café, John looked at his sister, smiling.

"So… how are things with you and Kaidan?" He asked in curiosity. Jane and Kaidan had been dating for a while now, and as a caring brother, John wanted to know how things were.

"Well, thanks to you, we barely see each other." Jane answered, looking at her brother, and smirking. John laughed a bit.

"Sorry, honey…" He said, still smiling a bit. Jane giggled, and touched her brother's arm.

"Well, at least you could make him not be as awkward on dates… he still acts like it's our first date every time." Jane explained. John laughed a bit louder now.

"You're kidding! He can't be as awkward still, can he?" He asked. Jane nodded, and joined her brother's laugh.

"Kaidan might be the king of awkwardness… it's a wonder we ended up together." She said. John chuckled, and looked around.

"Well, as long as he's good for you, sis." He said. Jane smiled, and took her brother's hand.

"Thanks, brother… I love you." She said quietly. John smiled, and squeezed Jane's hand.

"I love you too, Jane." He answered, and continued walking the pathway.

Suddenly, a man walking past them, bumped into John, which made him stagger a bit. After that, the man started running, and John realized, that the thief had stolen his credit card holder from his belt.

"Hey!" John yelled, as he started running after the thief.

Out of the blue, a bolt of electricity hit the man, and made him twitch and grunt in pain. The man fell on the ground, twitching around and trying to move. John stopped, raising his eyebrow. Who had done that?

After a moment, out of thin air, a hooded woman appeared, a tactical cloak deactivating, and revealing her. The woman wore a skintight leather suit, with a hood covering her head and most of her face. The mysterious woman walked to the thief, who still lied on the ground.

"You know, I once knew a guy in Kyoto, who could steal every bit of credits from you just by smiling at you. But you? You don't have the style or status to work at the presidium, let alone at the Citadel." The woman said, grabbing the credit card holder from the man's hand. John and Jane both raised their eyebrows, looking at the mysterious woman.

"You might want to consider a new job for yourself, pal." The woman said, before suddenly stomping his face with her high heeled black boots. The man was knocked unconscious.

After that, the hooded woman walked towards John and Jane, smiling a bit. Her eyes were barely visible, and she wore a small batch of purple lipstick on her lips. She truly was a unique sight, John thought. As she walked in front of the commander, the woman handed the holder to him.

"How do you do? Phantom Menace, at your service." The woman said, smirking a bit. John put the holder on his belt again, raising his eyebrows.

"Phantom Menace?" He asked, being a bit confused. The woman laughed a bit, and shook her head.

"It's the name the cops back on Earth gave me." The woman explained, holding her hand on her hips. John nodded.

"Okay…" He answered, still being a bit confused. Jane rolled her eyes a bit, and then looked at the woman.

"You're an unusual sight at the Citadel… I'd expect the galaxy's most notorious thief to lay lower." She said, looking at the woman. John raised his eyebrows again.

"She's a thief?" He asked, glancing at his sister. The woman laughed.

"Well, they call me the best thief in the galaxy, so I guess so." She explained, smirking a bit. Jane nodded.

"Well, I won't report you, since you helped my brother, miss." The young Alliance officer said. The woman smirked and winked her eye at Jane.

"Thanks, just doing my good deed for the day." She said. Before John could speak again, the woman walked past him, stopping at his side, and subtly moving her mouth just beside his ear.

"I've got to run, but I must say, John Shepard… you're one hot piece of work." The woman whispered, and gently slapped John's buttocks. John raised his eyebrows yet again, turning around.

"Wait… how did you..?" He asked, as he turned around, but noticed that the woman had disappeared again.

**...**

Several moments later, John and Jane arrived at the spaceport lobby, seeing the elevator, which would take them up to the hangar, where the Normandy was docked at.

As they walked towards the lift, John noticed Tali standing near it, being talked to by two C-Sec officers. Smelling trouble, John made his way towards them, Jane following him.

"What are you doing here, lollygagging around?" The other police officer asked, looking suspiciously at the quarian. Tali fiddled with her fingers, being nervous.

"Uh… I'm waiting for someone, my employer…" She explained. The other officer laughed, shaking his head.

"Sure… a quarian with a job on the Citadel, you've got to be kidding me. You're just here looking to pickpocket someone, aren't you?" The officer accused. Tali's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"What? No… no, definitely not." She said, but to no avail. The other officer grabbed the young quarian's arm.

"We'll take you down to the precinct in the suspicion of robbery." The officer declared. Tali seemed scared.

"What? No…" She tried to protest.

Suddenly, John walked behind the officer holding Tali's arm, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, dipshit." The Commander said. The C-Sec officers turned around, and raised their eyebrows.

"What do you want, asswipe? This is official C-Sec business, stay back." The officer said. John shook his head.

"You're harassing my crewmember, and I'm putting an end to it." He said determinately. The officers laughed a bit.

"Oh yeah? You want us to take you in too?" The other officer asked, fiddling with handcuffs in his hands. John smirked and crossed his arms.

"You think you can take in a newly appointed Council Spectre?" He asked, looking at the officers. The two human police officers' eyes widened.

"What…? You…? You're the new human Spectre?" The other officer asked, being baffled. John nodded his head. Both of the officers then quickly saluted him.

"We apologize, Commander Shepard." The other officer said. John nodded.

"Sure, now can you please leave?" He asked the two. The two officers quickly nodded, and walked away. After that, John placed his hand on Tali's shoulder, smiling comfortingly.

"You okay?" He asked the girl. Tali nodded quietly.

"Yes… yes… thank you." She said, looking in to John's eyes. John smiled, and let go of Tali's shoulder.

"Good. Now, let's go to the Normandy, I'm sure you'll find her interesting." He said, smiling sweetly. Tali nodded quietly, and smiled behind her mask.

After that, the three made their way to the elevator, which took them up to the hangarbay.

**...**

After a couple of minutes, the elevator arrived at the hangar, its door sliding down, and letting the trio exit it. As they walked out, John could see Ashley and Kaidan standing beside the airlock tunnel leading to the ship, talking with Garrus. Wrex was leaning on a railing a distance away, looking at the ship. Anderson and Udina stood at the other side of the airlock, waiting for John to come talk to them. Both Jane and Tali gasped, as they saw the magnificent piece of engineering that was the SSV Normandy.

"Wow, brother! I had no idea the Normandy was so… elegant." Jane said, looking at the ship. John smirked a bit, being proud to be the ship's XO. Tali also looked at it with large eyes.

"It looks so marvelous! I've never seen a ship like that." The young quarian said in awe, walking to a railing to admire the Normandy. John walked to Anderson and Udina, who were waiting for him. Jane quickly walked to Kaidan, and gave him a quick, but a gentle kiss on the lips, before walking to John again.

"I've got big news for you, Shepard; Captain Anderson is stepping down as the commanding officer of the Normandy, the ship is yours now." Udina declared, looking at John. The young commander raised his eyebrows, and looked at Anderson, who nodded.

"She's fast, and quiet, and you know the crew; a perfect ship for a Spectre." The old captain said, smiling at his protégé. John shook his head a bit.

"This… feels wrong. Why are you stepping down, Anderson?" He asked. Anderson sighed quietly.

"Truth is, John… I'm too old to be at the front lines… they're yours now. I know you're the best damn soldier in the whole Alliance military, and you're now a Spectre… nothing should stand in your way, as you save the galaxy from Saren… not even me being the commanding officer of the Normandy." Anderson explained. John didn't like it, but it did make sense.

"You need every advantage you can get, Shepard… trust me, the Normandy will suit you more than well in your mission." The ambassador assured. John nodded in agreement. Anderson then cleared his throat and spoke up.

"We've received word from the colony of Zhu's Hope, on the planet Feros; they've been attacked by the geth fleet." The captain stated. John stroked his short stubble.

"You think Saren would be there?" He asked the captain, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Unknown, John… but it's a good lead to start from." Anderson said. Udina opened his mouth then.

"We've also heard that the asari matriarch Benezia has a daughter, an expert on the protheans. Her name is Liara, Dr. Liara T'Soni. We don't know her location yet, but we're searching. Lieutenant Shepard here will monitor the findings." Udina said, pointing at Jane, who nodded.

"I'll keep you informed, Johnny." She said. John nodded, and looked at the human ambassador, who wasn't done.

"Also, remember that you're still part of the Alliance, Commander… the things you do can affect us in a bad way, even if it's for the good of the council." Udina said. John nodded.

"I won't make things worse for you, ambassador." The commander assured. Udina nodded in relief, and then looked at Jane.

"Well, Lieutenant, we'll need to go look into these findings. Commander, Captain Anderson here will answer any questions you might have. Good day." Udina said, signaling Jane to follow him. Jane quickly gave a kiss on John's cheek, and then left with Udina. Wrex walked right past Udina, looking at the ambassador.

"Boo…" The krogan said in his low voice, which made Udina raise his eyebrow, and back off a bit. Jane chuckled at that a bit, continuing to walk alongside Udina towards the elevator.

After that, John turned to Anderson again.

"You gonna be alright?" John asked his former guardian. Anderson smiled, patting John's shoulder.

"I will, John. Now, go show Saren how we roll." The captain said, winking his eye. John smiled, and shook Anderson's hand.

"You can count on it." He assured, being full of determination and confidence.

**15 minutes later…**

John walked on the bridge of the Normandy, wearing his casual Alliance uniform. He walked behind Joker, who was making the pre-flight preparations.

"I heard about Captain Anderson… man, he survived countless battles, and now he was taken down by backroom politics…" The pilot remarked, checking holographic windows on the dashboard. John nodded.

"I agree… but I believe this is for the best in the end, Joker… we'll stop Saren, you can count on it." He said to the pilot, who nodded.

"Hell yeah, Commander… and you can count on us, we're all behind you, a hundred percent." Joker assured. John smiled and patted Joker's shoulder.

"Thanks, Joker." He said, smiling. Joker nodded, and smirked.

"Hey, they call me the shrink, Commander." The pilot said, smirking. John rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit, Joker." He said, laughing quietly. Joker laughed a bit too.

"You know me too well, Shepard…" The pilot said.

After a moment, Joker pressed a couple of buttons, and got John's attention.

"The intercom is open, John. Wanna say a couple inspirational lines to the crew?" The pilot asked. John nodded, and bent towards the microphone, and began to speak.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders; stop Saren, and bring him to justice before he reaches the Conduit." He started. The crew all around the frigate started listening to their commanding officer. Ashley, Kaidan, Garrus and Wrex stood in the CIC, and listened to the broadcast.

"This began with an attack on Eden Prime, but it won't end there… Saren will destroy everything in his way to the Conduit, and we need to stop him." John continued. Tali walked along one of the hallways of the ship, stopping to listen to the broadcast coming through the intercom.

"Wherever Saren goes, we'll follow him! Wherever he tries to hide, we'll be there waiting for him! We will chase him to the ends of the galaxy, and we will not stop, until he's brought to justice!" John declared determinately. The crewmembers looked at each other, nodding in approval, getting more and more inspired.

"This will be the most important mission any of us have ever been on, but we will succeed, we will prevail! We will find Saren, and put an end to this geth incursion!" The commander finished strongly, closing the intercom. Joker looked at John.

"Nicely spoken, Commander. We're with you." The pilot assured. John nodded, and started walking away from the bridge, being full of confidence.

"Anderson gave up everything, so I could get this chance, we won't fail!" He said determined. Joker smirked, and nodded.

"Yes sir!" He answered with confidence.

After that, the large engines of the frigate sprung to life. The docking clamps detached themselves from the ship, and the Normandy backed away from the hangar, turning around, and shooting its powerful engines, pushing itself forwards.

On an overlooking balcony near the hangar, a dark brown haired, blue eyed woman looked upon the ship leaving. Two armed men stood behind her, wearing black and yellow armors, with unique insignia embedded in them. The woman, wearing a black and yellow leather suit, activated her omni-tool, and spoke into it.

"The Normandy has left the Citadel; Operation Observer is in motion." The woman said in her omni-tool.

**...**

On the small terrestrial human colony of Intai'sei, two batarian men were on their knees, their hands bound in handcuffs behind their backs. In front of them, a middle aged human man, smoking a cigarette, kept an eye on them.

The man, clad in dark grey armor, puffed on his cigarette, and threw it on the ground. The man had large scars on his face, his right eye pale in color, due to blindness. The man looked over his bounty, keeping his assault rifle in his grip.

"You two bastards came a long way from batarian space…" The man said, looking at the batarian prisoners. The two men didn't say a word. The human merc chuckled a bit.

"I would've given you some smokes, but I only have two left, and I definitely ain't giving those to some four eyed criminals…" He stated, smirking a bit.

Suddenly a Kodiak shuttle approached the empty site, where the man had his prisoners. The shuttle was painted in white, having yellow markings and logos in it. The man didn't recognize the logos, but assumed it to be his employer's, from who he had no knowledge of whatsoever. The shuttle landed a couple of meters away from them, its door sliding open almost immediately.

Five armored men exited the shuttle, wearing strange looking combat armors, being colored in white and yellow, having the same logos in them as well. The soldier leading the four men stopped right in front of the merc.

"You must be Zaeed Massani." The man said, his face being masked by his helmet. The human merc raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, and who the fuck are you people?" The Australian born man asked. The mysterious soldier reached down to one of his pockets, and took a bag of credit chips out of it, handing it to Zaeed.

"That detail is irrelevant at this time…" The man said, giving Zaeed the bag of money, and then signaling two of his men to take the batarian prisoners into the shuttle.

"We appreciate your efforts in capturing these two men… they are highly wanted individuals." The man continued. Zaeed nodded, putting the bag into his pocket.

"Yeah, they're apparently working for some bloke named Saren… a Spectre or something." He said. The soldier nodded.

"Correct, Mr. Massani… but apparently the council has dispatched their agents against him." The man said. Zaeed chuckled a bit.

"I heard that they made a human a Spectre, and sent him after Saren… a commander in the Alliance, apparently." The grumpy man said, taking a cigarette from his pocket, and lighting it up.

"Really, now?" The soldier asked, waiting for his men to complete the insertion of the prisoners into the shuttle.

"Yeah, some bloke named Shepard… John Shepard, I think. I hear he's some sort of war hero…" Zaeed explained, puffing some smoke in his lungs. The soldier seemed to get startled by that name, and he looked at Zaeed.

"John Shepard?" The man asked. Zaeed nodded, blowing out smoke.

"Yeah, like I said, some war hero…" The mercenary answered.

After that, the soldier turned around, seeing that his men had put the batarians in the shuttle. The man turned back to Zaeed for a second still.

"Well, we need to leave now. Cerberus appreciates your hard work, Mr. Massani." The man said, turning around again, and heading to the shuttle with his men. Zaeed raised his eyebrows, he had never heard of such organization as 'Cerberus'.

After the soldiers entered the shuttle, its doors closed, and the engines sprung to life. In the next moments, the shuttle rose up in the air, firing up its engines, and flying away from the area. Zaeed was left standing in the large empty area, continuing to smoke his cigarette.

****Okay, here's the next part!**

**I hope you like this one; I had a blast writing it. **

**I hope you liked the little cameos I gave both Kasumi and Zaeed, and one certain character from ME2 as well, if you can recognize her.**

**Kasumi's cameo was a clear reference to Varric's first appearance in Dragon Age II, and I'm sure some of you saw it. :D**

**Please go ahead and also speculate who that soldier in the end was, I'm sure you'll be surprised to find out later in the story.**

**Keep writing those reviews, I appreciate every single one of them, and hope you'll continue writing them.**

**Anyway, have a good time, next chapter will come soon!** **


	10. Chapter 9: Feros

**Chapter 9: Feros**

The massive glowing main reactor of the mass relay in the Hercules system, in the Attican Beta Cluster, started pulsating rapidly. The two circular rings around the core moved around, increasing their speed. Suddenly the space around the massive mass effect engine pulsated blue energy, shooting out lightning. Then a 90-meters long Alliance frigate, the SSV Normandy warped in to the star system, decreasing its speed drastically, as it flew past the mass relay.

The advanced ship extended its outer engines, and pushed itself forwards even faster, leaving the colossal prothean built mass relay behind it. After flying past a couple of observational satellites, orbiting the relay, the Normandy decreased its speed, its engines gaining more power, and then in a second, it jumped to light speed, disappearing from sight.

Inside his new cabin, earlier used by Anderson, John was sitting on his chair, in front of his desk. He had his table light on, turned towards the desk, where he had a small model of a turian frigate. The young commander carefully placed a piece on the model, and glued it in, using a small device to apply the glue on the model.

John had been into scale models for some time now, and he found it to be excellent pass of time. After inserting and gluing in the main gun of the model, John sighed quietly, and quickly glanced at another ship model, standing on the table, being held up by a small stand. As he put the model ship down on the table, John heard a quiet knock on the cabin's door.

"Come in, it's open." He said at the door, leaning back on his chair, and turning it towards the door.

After a second, the cabin's door then slid open, revealing who was behind it. Tali was standing at the doorway, fiddling with her hands. John smiled a bit, as he saw his quarian friend.

"Hey Tali. Come on in." He said, smiling widely, and getting up from his chair, turning off the table light. Tali carefully stepped inside, looking around a bit.

"Your cabin is quite big… I've never seen such a room for a captain." The quarian said. John chuckled a bit, looking around his small cabin.

"Well, this is pretty much the standard size of an Alliance cabin, you should see the ones in older ships; they're much smaller." He explained. After that, John offered Tali to take a seat on the small comfy couch in his cabin.

"Take a seat." He said in friendly voice. Tali slowly walked to the sofa, and sat down beside John, who still smiled at her.

"Thank you… I… uh… I wanted to talk with you…" Tali said, still fiddling with her fingers, a bit nervously. John smiled sweetly, as his friend did that, it was cute in his opinion.

"Okay, go ahead." The commander said, smiling. Tali was quiet for a moment, probably trying to find words, then she spoke again.

"I… wanted to thank you again for allowing me to join your crew. The Normandy is an amazing ship, and I honestly could never have imagined serving on it…. I'm… thankful…" The young quarian said. John chuckled a bit, and leaned back on the sofa.

"Oh, well, you're welcome. I'm certainly glad you're part of my crew, Tali." He answered, smiling. Tali blushed a bit behind her helmet, looking down on her hands.

"I'm… not sure if you remember me yet… but… we've met before, you know? I met you eight years ago, when I visited Earth with my uncle, Shem'Raan." Tali said quietly, looking around, still blushing a bit. John started smiling wider, he had only recently found out, who Tali really was, and now he remembered.

"I do remember now, Tali… and the memories I have truly are nice, and bring warmth to me. How is Shem, by the way? I haven't seen him since the accident." John asked, quickly surrounding his fist with blue biotic energy, but fading it then. Tali suddenly looked a bit sad under her helmet, and looked down.

"He… he's dead, John…" The quarian said quietly. John's smile quickly turned itself around, and he opened his mouth a bit. Shem was dead? The young commander then gently put his hands on Tali's, making her look into his eyes.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I had no idea, Tali… how… how did he die, if I may ask?" John asked quietly, looking into Tali's glowing silver eyes, holding her hands. Even though her heart beat faster than ever, because of John's gesture, Tali kept her overwhelming embarrassment away, and spoke up.

"There… was a surprise attack against the Migrant Fleet, about two years ago. We lost three of our ships during that… uncle Shem's ship being one of them." Tali explained quietly. John frowned a bit, who would attack the Migrant Fleet?

"Who was behind the attack? Was it the geth?" He asked his quarian friend. Tali was quiet for a bit, and then looked at John again.

"I don't really know… the attackers were human… some sort of paramilitary organization, or something. They attacked with a cruiser, and a frigate... after the battle, our marines found out who they were working for… something called 'Cerberus'." She explained.

John frowned more; he had heard of this 'Cerberus' before, but not much. From what he had heard, Cerberus was a former special operations division of the Alliance military, and about 10 years ago, it had gone rogue, removing itself from the Alliance, and declaring itself an independent organization. After that, Cerberus had vanished; no reports of their actions had been filed ever since. John didn't know what Cerberus wanted with the quarians, but attacking the Migrant Fleet seemed extremely odd for a human paramilitary organization to do. Tali noticed John's frown, and squeezed his hand a bit.

"What is it?" She asked, looking into John's eyes. John quickly shook his head, smiling a bit.

"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry." He answered, squeezing Tali's hand in turn.

After a moment, Tali looked around the cabin, and noticed John's ship models lying on the table. She stood up, and walked to them, looking at the small ships curiously. John smiled, and walked behind her.

"They look so real… it's like I'm a giant, holding a normal turian frigate." Tali said, holding the turian ship model in her hands. John chuckled quietly, thinking of her being cute. He put his hands on Tali's shoulders, smiling as she looked over her shoulder.

"I have a thing for small sized things representing real things…. Not to say that I have… small… things…" John said quietly, blushing a bit, as he realized how his words could be understood. Tali did seem to realize, as she laughed a bit, bumping her bottom against John playfully. That made the young commander blush even more.

After that, Tali put the model back on the table, and turned around, looking into John's eyes again. The two of them were very close each other now. John's heart was jumping around in his chest, the last time he had felt this, was when he had met Tali the last time.

"Uh… do you... still remember that rose I gave you eight years ago?" John asked quietly, looking into Tali's eyes. The quarian nodded, smiling behind her helmet.

"Yes, John… I actually have them growing in one of the gardens on the Raaya…" She explained, gently touching John's fingers with hers.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, interrupting John's and Tali's little romantic moment. John cleared his throat, and backed away from Tali a bit, looking at the cabin's door.

"Come in…" He said, scratching the back of his head a bit. The cabin's door slid open, revealing Kaidan and Ashley standing behind it. As soon as the young female saw John and Tali in the room, her face quickly turned into a frown. Kaidan cleared his throat a bit.

"Sorry if we're interrupting something, Commander…" Kaidan said, smirking a bit, while standing at the doorway. John quickly shook his head, asking the two to step in.

"Not at all. Please, come in." He said, smiling a bit. Kaidan and Ashley stepped inside, the lieutenant holding a small datapad in his hands.

"We're approaching Feros, John. The colony of Zhu's Hope has stopped sending any comm. traffic…" Kaidan explained, handing the datapad to John.

"The geth?" John asked his friend. Kaidan shrugged his shoulders.

"Hard to say… but most likely, yes." The lieutenant answered. John frowned in his thoughts, as he looked at the pad in his hands, it was the latest reports from the colony on Feros.

"Joker said that we'll be at Feros in an hour, Shepard. We should prepare." Ashley said. John nodded, handing the datapad over to Kaidan again.

"Quite right. Kaidan, go to the bridge, you'll be handling info from the Normandy to us during this mission." John instructed. The human lieutenant nodded in acknowledgment.

"Roger that." He said, doing a little salute. John then turned to look at Ashley.

"Ashley, go prepare in the cargo hold; get our equipment ready for us, and suit up; you'll be my second in command down there." The commander said. Ashley's face filled with joy, as she heard about that, and she saluted John with a smile.

"Copy that, skipper. I won't let you down." She said confidently. John nodded smilingly.

"I know you will, now please go prepare." He said, after which both Kaidan and Ashley left the room. Then John turned around to see Tali fiddling with her fingers again.

"Do you want to join us down on Feros, Tali? It might be dangerous." John asked, clearly not wanting for his friend to possibly get hurt. Tali chuckled a bit, walking past John.

"Please, John, have some faith in me… I can handle it." She said, confidently walking past John, and out the room. After the door slid shut again, John sighed deeply, his heart finally calming down. There certainly was something in Tali that made John act weirdly.

**...**

A sudden gust of wind blew the smell of smoke into young Amanda Briggs' face. The young female pilot of the Alliance coughed a bit, using her hand to fan the smoke elsewhere. A couple of Alliance hangar personnel where on a smoking break a few meters away, which made the wind blow the smoke out of their cigarettes towards Amanda.

The moderately large human colony on Ferris Fields was an unusual hub world for a large Alliance military base, called Fort Hereford. Even though being in the Terminus Systems, Ferris Fields was a loyal world of the Alliance, pledging its help to the organization whenever and however. Fort Hereford had gotten its name from the historical base of operations for the Special Air Service division of the British Armed Forces, based back in England on Earth. SAS troops were the first human soldiers to set foot on Ferris Fields over 20 years ago, claiming the terrestrial planet for the Alliance, and the humanity.

Amanda Briggs was a 32 year old Alliance pilot, originating from Dublin, Ireland. She had joined the Alliance pilot program, after she graduated from the basic Alliance army school, based in Belfast. For the next 10 years, she served as an experienced pilot, flying countless of hours for the Alliance Navy. Now she was stationed on Ferris Fields as a gunner, serving with her flying partner Jake Norton, who piloted the F-57 Eagle fighter-bomber with Amanda.

As Amanda was checking her flight suit, making sure all the applications were working right. The female pilot then looked at the helmet that was lying in her hands. Suddenly a small staff room next to her opened, another Alliance pilot walking through it. The male pilot stopped in front of her, smirking a bit, and holding a helmet in his hands as well.

"Ready to go, Briggs?" Jake Norton, Amanda's partner asked. The female pilot nodded, and quickly shook hands with her flying partner.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" She answered, striking a quick smile. The two pilots then made their way towards the large open area, that was designated for landings and take-offs in the base.

Fort Hereford was a large Alliance military base, having been built into a mountain, overlooking the city of New Hampshire several kilometers away, the second largest city on Ferris Fields, being outranked by the colony's capital city of New Maine, which was located around 700 kilometers away from its sister city.

The two pilots walked beside each other, towards their prepared F-57 fighter-bomber. Alliance hangar staff and engineers still checked a couple of things with the aircraft, as the two pilots arrived next to the fighter. Both Norton and Amanda then put their helmets on, the female pilot immediately plugging in the oxygen tubes to it. After that, Norton used a small ladder to climb up to the side of the ship, climbing in the cockpit, and sitting down in the frontal seat. Amanda followed in his wake, climbing up the ladder as well, and getting in the cockpit, sitting down on the backseat, immediately activating the console in front of her.

As she looked to her right, Amanda could see the F-57 fighter next to theirs, being manned by their wingmen Erik Carlson and James O'Reilly. Norton activated his dashboard, and started firing up different systems in the fighter craft.

"Alright, Briggs; close the canopy." Norton instructed from his pilot's seat. Amanda did as ordered, and pressed a button on the console, which closed the cockpit's canopy. After that, her flying partner nodded his head, activating more systems.

"Flight control, this is Devil-3, requesting permission for take-off." Norton said to his helmet's microphone, firing up the lights on the fighter's wings.

"Devil-03, permission granted, happy flying." A voice from the flight tower answered. Norton then glanced over his shoulder at Amanda.

"Okay, Briggs; check the flaps." The pilot ordered, to which Amanda answered with a small finger salute, and she looked behind her seat, looking at the fighter's wings, making sure the flaps were moving on command.

"We're all good." She said, turning back around, and putting her thumb up. Norton nodded, and fired up the fighter's engines, shaking the cockpit as the powerful engines started pushing fire and energy out of them.

The F-57 next to them, Devil-04, got their clearance to take-off, and the docking clamps holding the fighter on the ground detached, instantly sending the fighter forwards with speed. Right after that, Amanda's and Norton's fighter's docking clamps also detached, and the fighter took off.

The Irish pilot could feel how the G-forces pushed her back on the seat, even though she was wearing a pressurized flightsuit. Norton piloted the fighter upwards, being just beside the fighter they were partnered with. The fighters gained altitude rapidly, flying at the speed of over 3200 km/h. The two fighters reached their designated altitude, both then balancing themselves, and starting to cruise at a lower speed. Amanda looked out the cockpit's canopy, seeing all the small-looking fields back down on the ground.

Suddenly three other smaller fighters, F-61 Tridents, flew over the two fighter-bombers, setting themselves in front of the two F-57s. The leading fighter's pilot opened the intercom between the fighters.

"Good afternoon, dear wingmen. This is Lieutenant Cortez speaking; I'll be leading this detachment of today's exercise flight in cooperation with the Havoc Squad, and the Devil Squad. Captain Xian'yu is leading the second detachment of today's flight, and you can see her and her wingmen on the left." The leading fighter's pilot said. Amanda took a look to the left, and saw another three F-61s flying in front of two other F-57s several hundred meters away.

After that, a woman's voice started speaking.

"Alright guys, this is Captain Xia speaking. You know the drill; a basic flight to the Dawson Ridge, where we'll perform a couple of close-air-support maneuvers. Then it'll be back to the base, just in time for dinner." The woman in the intercom explained.

Just after the captain had finished, something odd started happening. Amanda and Norton both immediately noticed that something was suddenly wrong with the fighter's electrical systems. The consoles in front of them showed weird calculations, and flickered rapidly.

Out of the blue, a red laser beam shot down from the sky, hitting the rightmost F-61 fighter, destroying it. The other pilots reacted in a second.

"Break! Break! Break!" One of the pilots yelled in the intercom.

"Oh shit!" Norton exclaimed, quickly steering the fighter to the left, dodging the red laser beam from hitting it.

As the four fighters then returned to their formation, Amanda looked up the cockpit's canopy, seeing a huge squid-looking starship slowly descending from the sky, blocking the sun's light. The massive ship shot out the red laser beams out of its weapons, bringing destruction to the city of New Hampshire below.

"Bogeys 12 o'clock high!" The F-61 fighter on the left's pilot screamed to the intercom. Several geth fighters then descended from the sky, shooting their pulse cannons. The two F-61 fighters, and Amanda's fighter were able to dodge the laser shots, but the other F-57 got shot in its wing, shredding it apart, which made the fighter spin out of control, and explode.

"Devil-04 is down!" Norton yelled in the microphone, rapidly changing the fighter's position in the sky. The leading F-61 fighter increased its speed.

"Follow me!" Lieutenant Cortez ordered through the intercom, and began a rapid dive towards the city below. The other F-61 and Amanda's F-57 followed him, diving rapidly towards the ground as numerous geth ships descended from the sky, and opened fire upon the city's buildings.

As they closed in on the ground, all three fighters quickly pulled up, and stabilized themselves to horizontal position again. As they flew past the many buildings in the center of the town, a red beam of laser from the massive ship suddenly stuck down on the tallest skyscraper in the city, the Jones Tower, immediately engulfing parts of the building on fire. The laser cut through the skyscraper, making it collapse and fall down. Lieutenant Cortez's fighter barely dodged the falling debris from the collapsing building. The other F-61 fighter smashed into the building, exploding in a bright sea of fire. Norton dodged a couple of debris, as he flew the fighter under the collapsing building, still following Cortez's F-61 Trident.

Norton kept the fighter-bomber right behind Cortez's fighter, but suddenly a geth fighter's stray cannon shot hit the F-57 Super Eagle's backside. The fighter shook a bit, and Amanda glanced behind her seat, seeing a trail or fire and smoke coming out of the right side engine. The fighter-bomber began losing its speed. Norton frantically worked on his dashboard, pressing numerous buttons, and trying to keep the fighter stabilized.

A moment later, two geth fighters approached again, shooting their repeating blasters. Cortez did a barrel roll, dodging the shots, but the damaged F-57 was hit again. The cockpit of the craft suddenly filled with fire. Norton tired his best to keep the fighter in the air, but the fire destroyed the console in front of him. The fighter started plummeting down rapidly.

"Briggs! Argh! Eject!" Norton yelled at his partner, who sat on the backseat, covering her face from the flames. The female pilot then quickly grabbed the small lever under her seat, pulling it strongly.

Amanda's seat then shot out of the fighter, as the canopy removed itself from the cockpit first. As her seat flew up in the air, Amanda could see as her partner smashed into a building with the flaming F-57 fighter-bomber, engulfing the doomed fighter in a sea of flame.

The panicking pilot then pressed a button in the side of her seat, which removed her seatbelts, which made her fall free from the seat. After that, Amanda pulled a small bin that released her parachute from the back of her flightsuit. After the chute had extended and deployed itself, Amanda's falling speed decreased dramatically.

For the next moments the brave female pilot hung in the air, slowly descending towards the ground. She could see all the chaos and destruction around her. Countless of geth frigates, cruisers, and fighters ravaged the city, while the massive alien ship prepared to land right in the middle of the city.

A lone F-61 fighter flew past Amanda, being chased by three geth fighters. Suddenly a stray blaster shot hit the pilot. Amanda's entire body got pierced by the powerful pulse round. Her death was near immediate, and for the next several moments, the dead Irish pilot slowly descended on the ground, being safely landed by her parachute.

…**.. **

An F-61 Trident flew fast out of the city of New Hampshire, being on fire and leaving a trail of smoke behind it. Lieutenant Steve Cortez frantically pressed buttons on his fighter's dashboards. All the alarms flickered and disturbed his work to keep the fighter in the air.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" The pilot cursed, as he tried his best to maneuver the fighter, but to no avail.

The fighter rapidly lost its altitude, plummeting down towards the ground. Cortez could see that he was now flying over the rice fields near the city. In a few seconds, the F-61 hit the ground, splashing mud and water around it, as the fighter crashed. The flaming wreckage twisted and twirled around, grinding against the ground, still moving dozens of meters forward on the ground. After a moment, the fighter came to a halt, stopping on the rice fields.

The survived pilot quickly smashed his way through the broken cockpit canopy, crawling his way out of the flaming aircraft. Cortez limped himself away from the fighter, his flightsuit smoking due to the fire. The young latino pilot pressed a few buttons on his smoking suit, which decoupled all the parts, throwing them off him. He then also took off his helmet, and threw it on the ground, which made a splash in the water it hit, on the rice field.

Cortez then sighed deeply, and made his way further from the fighter, not wanting to be close to it, in case if it'd explode. The pilot then turned around, and looked in the horizon, at the city nearby. He could see all the destruction being caused, as well as the massive ship landing in the center of it, making a god awful noise. Cortez couldn't believe what he was seeing; he had heard the reports of geth attacks in human colonies, but he could never have guessed they'd target Ferris Fields next.

The young pilot then sighed, and turned around, starting to walk fast towards the farmhouse nearby; he'd need to call for help from the Alliance.

…**..**

The clanking sound of the Normandy's elevator touching down on the cargo deck echoed throughout the cargo hold. The metal doors opened, revealing John and Tali standing inside it. The two walked out of the lift, heading towards the young female sergeant Ashley, who was sorting out the equipment for the mission on Feros. Garrus was working on the other side of the cargo hold, working on a console next to the M35 Mako armored personnel carrier.

As the two walked towards Ashley, John saw Wrex lurking behind one of the ship's crewmembers, who was gathering some spare parts in a box. As the man lifted the box up, and turned around, Wrex greeted him with a smirk.

"Boo…" The krogan said. The man gasped loudly, and the box dropped from his hands, hitting the ground and spreading the spare parts around. John rolled his eyes, while smiling a bit. Wrex apparently had fun doing that, considering how the krogan was laughing at the startled human man.

Ashley was already dressed in her new body armor, coloured black and red, as she wanted to have the same paint job on her armor as the Normandy. The young sergeant smiled, as she grabbed an M-8 Avenger from a weapons storage box.

"Good to see you, Commander. Ready for some action?" Ashley asked, smirking as she readied the assault rifle in her hands. John smirked back at his squadmate.

"Hell yeah." The commander answered.

Two of the Normandy's crew then walked to John, starting to help him put his N7 armor on. As John was putting his armor on, Ashley turned to Tali, smiling just slightly to keep everything friendly.

"So, Tali, what kind of a weapon do you want?" The sergeant asked, showing the quarian the weapons storage box, which was filled with rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and pistols. Tali looked at the guns for a bit, fiddling with her hands.

"Uuh… I… don't really know… I haven't used a gun before…" The quarian said quietly. Ashley frowned a bit, raising her eyebrow.

"Have you had any kind of weapons training?" The sergeant asked. Tali nodded, still looking around a bit nervously.

"Yes… I do know how to use a pistol…. But I haven't ever used one." She explained. Ashley nodded, quickly bending over to the storage box, and getting a pistol out, handing it to the young quarian.

"Here you go. This is an M-4 Shuriken, a machine pistol. It has low recoil, so you shouldn't have any problems shooting with it." Ashley explained, while Tali looked at the pistol in her hands. Wrex walked up from behind her, chuckling a bit.

"She looks like a strong little thing. I bet she could use a shotgun." The krogan said. Tali's eyes widened, and she looked at Wrex.

"What? Oh… no… I could never… they're too powerful." The quarian stuttered. Wrex smirked and shook his head.

"I bet you a hundred credits, that you can use one of those Eviscerators." The krogan assured, pointing at a bulky shotgun, lying in the box. Ashley frowned a bit, and spoke up.

"Leave her alone, Wrex… a shotgun is way too powerful for a skinny little girl like her." The sergeant said. Tali frowned at the sergeant under her helmet, she could definitely tell that Ashley was mocking her indirectly.

"Now, what gun do you want?" Ashley asked Wrex, who chuckled, and took a shotgun from behind his back.

"I have my own, Williams…" The krogan said, showing off his M-300 Claymore heavy shotgun. Ashley frowned and rolled her eyes, turning to face John.

"Showoff…" She mumbled quietly.

John had now finished dressing up into his armor. The Commander checked that everything was fitted correctly, and was in working order in his armor. He then walked to the weapons storage, picking up an M-15 Vindicator. As he checked the weapon, Ashley turned to look at Garrus, who was still working on the console.

"Hey Vakarian! What gun do you want?" She asked the turian. Garrus turned his head to look at the sergeant, being a bit unfocused.

"Uhm, sorry?" The turian asked. Ashley raised her eyebrows.

"What are you even doing over there?" She asked a bit suspiciously. Garrus' eyes widened, and he started to scratch the back of his head a bit.

"Oh… uuh… I'm calibrating…" The turian officer answered. Ashley stared at him for a second, and then turned around to face the weapons storage, rolling her eyes a bit. The sergeant picked up another M-8 Avenger, and then tossed the rifle to the turian, who grabbed it from mid-air. Ashley smirked a bit, as Garrus looked at the rifle.

"What? Not good enough?" The Sergeant asked. Garrus shrugged his shoulders.

"No… it's not that… I just prefer sniper rifles." The turian explained. Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Well, you won't be far enough for that…" She said, turning to face John again, who was talking with Tali. Seeing the two of them smile at each other made Ashley boil from inside. She didn't have any intentions on making a move on John, but seeing him being close to someone else did make the young sergeant irritated.

"It'll be fine, just stay behind me, Tali." John said quietly, placing his hand on Tali's shoulder. The young quarian looked into her friend's eyes, the silver color of them sparkling of trust.

"I know, I'm okay… no need to worry about me." She answered quietly, smiling slightly behind her mask. John smiled back at her, gently tapping her shoulder. After a moment, Joker's voice suddenly came through the intercom system.

"We're approaching Feros' atmosphere, Commander. I'll fly over the highway system between the two prothean towers on the colony." The pilot explained. John nodded, and signaled Ashley to follow him.

"Alright, everyone, get into the Mako." The commander ordered, pointing at the APC at the other end of the cargo hold.

**Five minutes later…**

The high atmosphere clouds on Feros were quickly disrupted, as the Normandy flew through them with speed. The Alliance frigate decreased its altitude rapidly, closing in on the tall ruins of the prothean city of Thesy'lia.

In the ship's cargo hold, the powerful APC M35 Mako was prepared for departure; a couple of the Normandy's crewmembers made some last minute checks. Inside the armored vehicle, John and Garrus were sitting in its cockpit, John acting as the driver, and Garrus as the co-pilot. Ashley sat right behind them, manning the main console for the cannon that was sitting on top of the APC. Tali and Wrex sat in the personnel space, having strapped themselves in tightly, though Wrex had some problems trying to fit the harnesses around him.

As John activated the different systems in the small tank, he glanced at the turian officer sitting next to him; Garrus seemed to know how to operate the Mako.

"Not your first time in this thing?" He asked the turian. Garrus nodded.

"We had some training in operating these APCs, while I was in the turian military. A good and versatile little armored vehicle. The turian APCs are a bit more… radical…" The turian explained, pressing a couple of buttons in the console in front of him. Ashley chuckled a bit.

"Have you ever been in a 'combat drop' with this?" The sergeant asked. Garrus raised his eyebrow, being a bit confused.

"A combat drop…?" The turian repeated. Ashley laughed a bit for answer. John chuckled a bit too.

"Oh boy… you are in for a surprise." The Commander said, smirking a bit. Garrus started to figure out, what the two were talking about, as he looked out the frontal windows. The turian's eyes widened.

"No…. you're not going to…?" He started, pointing at the cargo hold door. John smirked and nodded.

"Yep, I am…" He answered. Tali and Wrex heard the conversation too. Tali quickly grabbed the harnesses more tightly, while Wrex seemed to get excited.

"Oh Keelah…." The quarian said quietly. Wrex laughed a bit, as the cargo door suddenly started to open.

"Oh this is going to be great!" The krogan said excitedly.

The Normandy's cargo bay door slowly lowered itself. After a moment, it was fully open. The ship itself had arrived to the drop off point, right above the ancient highway bridge, built between the two massive towers. After the Normandy came to a halt, John smirked widely, and then fired up the Mako's engines. The APCs engines roared, as John pressed the accelerator. The six wheels of the armored car first spun around rapidly, not finding anything to grip onto. As they got a grip on the cargo bay's floor, the Mako's wheels launched it towards the boarding ramp. The fast moving APC drove out of the cargo bay, launching itself off the boarding ramp into the air.

The rapid descend of the APC made it feel like in a roller coaster in John's mind. Personally, he enjoyed the thrilling feel of rapidly descending towards the ground. Garrus tightly grabbed the handles on his seat, not really having been prepared for such stunt. Wrex loved every second of the drop, holding his arms up high like a small child at an amusement park. Tali had her eyes closed, holding on to the harnesses of her seat.

After a few seconds, the Mako touched the ground; its wheel's suspensions absorbing the hit, and making the APC jump a bit.

"Wooh!" Ashley yelled in joy, as the jump made her stomach tingle. John laughed a bit to that, immediately continuing to accelerate, as the APC stabilized itself on the road.

The Normandy flew over the Mako, flying towards the tall prothean building in front of them. As the ship flew past the building, three geth fighters, docked in with a geth frigate, that had attached itself on the wall of the building, detached themselves from the frigate, and started to pursue the Normandy.

"Hopefully Joker has some maneuvers up his sleeve…" Ashley noted, looking at the situation through the cannon's aiming system. John hoped the same, though stayed quiet, continuing to drive the Mako towards the ExoGeni headquarters, which was built inside the ancient prothean skyscraper.

**15 minutes later…**

The stone floor in the ExoGeni headquarters suddenly filled with a clanking sound, as two geth troopers stomped around an abandoned room. The metallic feet of the synthetic soldiers blew away dust and dirt, as they hit the cold floor.

The two troopers talked to each other, using the electronic language of the geth. Suddenly a loud sound filled the atmosphere, and the two troopers looked around, scanning the area for any anomalies. Out of the blue, a geth trooper's body flew violently across the room, its body surrounded by blue energy. The trooper's body slammed against the rock wall, falling on the floor then. The two other troopers immediately made their way to their fallen comrade, being confused about what just had happened.

After a moment, the geth troopers' attention was quickly drawn away from their fellow trooper, as they turned around, seeing a bulky krogan approach them. Wrex calmly walked towards the two geth soldiers, reloading his Claymore shotgun. The troopers immediately screeched in their electric language, opening fire on the krogan with their pulse rifles.

Blue biotic energy surrounded Wrex's body, protecting him from the pulse rounds the geth were shooting him with. As the krogan approached them, the two geth soldiers slowly started to back away, still shooting at their enemy relentlessly. After coming closer to them, Wrex plainly raised his shotgun, and blasted both of the geth troopers into pieces.

After the troopers had fallen, Wrex reloaded his shotgun again, turning around to see his companions, led by John, walk into the room.

"Nice work, Wrex… you really seem to enjoy destroying these synthetics." John said, looking at the three 'dead' geth troopers. Wrex shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh… I'm up for killing pretty much anyone… it's just nicer to kill these robots, since there are so many of them, and they're so stupid…" The krogan explained. Tali chuckled quietly to that.

"The geth aren't any smarter than varren in small groups; they just see an objective, and try to complete that." The quarian girl said. Wrex laughed a bit, smirking at Tali.

"Well, I can tell you that a pack of varren on Tuchanka is more dangerous than these dummies…" He said, kicking one of the geth bodies with his large foot. John smiled a bit, seeing how his teammates talked to each other. He then activated his omni-tool, and contacted the Normandy.

"Joker, how are you holding up there?" The commander asked. Joker's voice answered shortly after.

"Still dodging these damn fighters, Commander… they're pretty persistent. Haven't been able to take them out yet… the Normandy doesn't have the best anti-fighter weapons…" The pilot explained through the omni-tool. John nodded in agreement.

"I know… we need to upgrade the ship a bit. But for now, try to keep the paint job intact, okay?" He asked, smirking a bit.

"I think the engines will be the ones in danger to get destroyed, than the paint job being ruined, Commander…" Joker answered in a slight joking manner. After that, Kaidan's voice came through.

"John, I'm seeing a large room next to the one you are in right now… I believe it's the headquarters for the geth, and where that frigate has anchored itself in. You should take it out." The lieutenant explained. John nodded in acknowledgment, looking at the small doorway nearby.

"Got it… we'll take care of it, Shepard out." John said, deactivating his omni-tool.

Garrus and Ashley in the meanwhile approached the doorway, both taking places on the sides of the door. John, Tali and Wrex walked to the door as well. Ashley looked at her commander, raising her rifle, being ready.

"Ready, Shepard… just say the word." The young sergeant said. John turned to look at the large krogan standing next to him.

"Would you mind, Wrex?" He asked the krogan. Wrex smirked, and nodded, taking a couple of steps towards the door.

With a single powerful strike, Wrex blasted the door open with his biotic powers. After the door had flown away, both Ashley and Garrus stormed in the room, aiming their rifles. John and Wrex also stormed inside the room, immediately starting to scan for targets.

For their surprise, the entire room was empty. A dozen of human bodies were lying around on the floor nearby; John assumed them to be the ExoGeni scientist. He also noticed the large metallic anchors, attached into the wall, that were keeping the geth frigate attached to the building's side.

As the group walked around the room, suddenly one of the scientists lying in the pile of bodies moved. John noticed it, and immediately rushed to the scientist, who was coughing blood out of his mouth. The commander crouched down beside the dying man, activating his omni-tool, and scanning the man's vitals. Garrus came next to John and crouched down as well.

"We have medigel, hold on…" The turian officer said, searching for small medigel syringes in his armor's pockets. The scientist coughed blood, and shook his head.

"It's too late… don't bother…" The man said weakly. John confirmed that the man was dying soon, with his omni-tool's scans.

"Why did the geth come here…?" He asked the man, not being able to see any reason for the geth and Saren to attack Feros. The scientist was quiet for a little while, but then spoke up.

"They…. Came for the Thorian…" The man said quietly. John and Garrus glanced at each other quickly. Tali and Ashley also changed looks, standing behind the two men, who were crouched over the dying man. Wrex on the other hand was looking around the large metallic anchors, presumably trying to find a way to detach them from the wall.

"What's the Thorian?" John asked the scientist. The man coughed again, and then spoke up.

"It's an ancient life-form; living under the colony of Zhu's Hope… it's older than the Prothean Empire, and it has unique telepathic abilities…" The man explained, his voice getting weaker by every sentence. Garrus raised his eyebrows.

"Can it… affect people's minds?" The turian operative asked. The human scientist took a deep breath, and answered.

"Yes… it releases tiny spores… that can be inhaled by anyone… over time; the Thorian takes control of the infected people's minds…" The man explained. John stroked his chin; this was definitely a surprising turn of events.

"Are the colonist of Zhu's Hope affected?" John asked the scientist, who was still coughing up blood. The man was quiet for a while again, but then spoke up.

"Yes… they are affected… and they could be controlled by the Thorian already." The scientist explained. Ashley sighed a bit.

"So now we've got geth and telepathically controlled colonists… great…" The sergeant said quietly. John stroked his chin again.

"I wonder if Saren's after this Thorian's mind controlling abilities… we should go find the creature ourselves, and fast." The commander stated. The human scientist coughed loudly, and spoke up again.

"The geth are trying to harness the Thorian's ability… but they won't succeed… the creature is far more complex than any of us can even imagine…" The man said. After saying that, the scientist suddenly lowered his head, ceasing his breathing. Garrus touched the man's neck, trying to find a pulse, but couldn't find one.

"He's dead…" The turian said, standing up with John, who scratched his head, trying to think of what to do next.

"Alright… we need to go find this Thorian creature, now…" The commander said, looking at his team.

After John had said that, a loud screeching noise suddenly got everyone's attention. The entire group looked at the source of the noise, noticing Wrex in front of the metallic anchor, lifting it up, his body surrounded by blue biotic energy.

"The hell is that krogan doing?" Ashley wondered quietly, walking next to John, who was as surprised.

Wrex roared loudly, as he used all his strength to lift up the anchor, detaching it off from the wall. After a moment, the krogan was able to completely detach the anchor, causing it to violently pull itself through the wall. The geth frigate outside lost its foothold in the building, and fell down, as the anchors gave in. The room shook a bit, as the frigate hit the ground several hundred meters below, and exploded.

After that, Wrex huffed quietly, being a bit exhausted. The krogan then looked at the group, who were all staring at him.

"What?" Wrex asked, smirking a bit. John shook his head, while smiling a bit. The commander then signaled his squad to follow him, they had an alien creature to find.

**17 minutes later…**

An eerie quietness filled the atmosphere, as John and his squad arrived at the center of Zhu's Hope. They had seen nothing but dead militiamen and destroyed geth corpses, no civilians were anywhere to be seen.

After a moment, the five person group walked past a building, and to their surprise, they saw all the colonists lying on the ground, not moving at all. John's heart ached a bit, as he saw it, the dozens of humans were likely all dead, even though he could not see any injuries from afar.

Ashley walked to one of the humans, and activated her omni-tool. The young sergeant raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"They're all alive, Shepard. They're just… unconscious…. In a coma." Ashley explained, looking at the scans of her omni-tool. That certainly was surprising; John had expected the geth to have killed all the colonists. The commander assumed that the Thorian was responsible for the state of the colonists, as he remembered how the creature was supposed to be able to control people.

After a moment, Garrus noticed something at the other end of the colony. The turian pointed at a small entrance to inside the ancient prothean skyscraper's superstructure.

"Commander, look over there. That might be the entrance to where the Thorian is." Garrus said, pointing at the entryway. John smiled a bit, and nodded.

"Good eye, Garrus. Okay, everyone. Let's go get this Thorian." The commander said, signaling his squad to follow.

**Five minutes later…**

The dusty stairs of the underground passage filled the air with their particles, making John and his squad cough a little. Tali was the only one not affected, and Garrus made a note about that.

"It must be so nice to have air filters in that suit…" The turian said, coughing a bit. Tali shook her head, and looked at Garrus.

"It's not perfect… I can still smell how bad your scent is…" The quarian answered. Garrus raised his eyebrows, being surprised at the sudden backlash. Wrex laughed at it.

"Hah, a small little quarian girl owned you, Garrus!" The krogan exclaimed. John raised his eyebrows this time.

"Who still uses the term 'owned'?" The commander asked. Wrex shrugged his shoulders.

"I heard some young humans use it… I want to be youthful." The krogan answered plainly.

A few moments later, the squad arrived at a large room in the ruined building. John could see two asari in front of them, the other one sitting down on the ground, meditating, and the other pointing a pistol to the other one's head. As the group approached them, the other asari turned around, as she heard John's squad's approach.

"Halt! You are not allowed to enter this place, human." The asari said. John stopped a couple of meters from the two asari, his squad doing the same right behind him.

"And on who's order?" The Commander asked. The asari smirked a bit.

"On the order of Saren Arterius… our savior" She said, her eyes filled with awe. Garrus sighed in a small frustration, standing next to John.

"These people honestly think Saren is their savior… they've been brainwashed or something." The turian said. Wrex chuckled a bit.

"A bullet in the head will cure that…" The krogan stated plainly. The asari soldier didn't seem to care about the banter.

"You are fighting against an ever flowing river… everything you sacrifice will be in vain." The asari zealot continued. John frowned a bit, and answered the zealous soldier.

"I have no idea how Saren managed to make you think like this, but let me tell you this… he will not succeed, I will see to that personally." The commander said confidently. The asari laughed a bit.

"Your blind confidence is meaningless! Saren will bring back the Reapers, and they will purge the galaxy from-.." The asari said, suddenly being cut short by a loud gunshot. Wrex's shotgun blasted the asari right on her chest, the kickback pushing her right off the edge she was standing near. The dead asari soldier fell down the large pit, that was in the middle of the ruin, hitting the countless of destroyed building blocks.

The entire group stared at Wrex, who simply put away his shotgun.

"What the hell, Wrex!? You can't just go around shooting everyone!" Ashley scoffed the krogan. Wrex didn't seem to care.

"She was gonna attack us anyway… I just saved us from that trouble" The krogan explained plainly. John sighed a bit, and approached the other asari, who slowly stood up from her sitting position. Garrus and Ashley raised their rifles at the asari, who turned around, looking at the group in front of her.

"Commander Shepard… you have come." The asari said, not seemingly being zealous or dangerous at all, as the previous asari. John walked a couple of steps closer to her, signaling his squad to lower their weapons.

"Who are you?" The young Commander asked. The asari stood a bit straighter, proceeding to introduce herself.

"My name is Shiala. I serve-… I served Matriarch Benezia for decades. Her recent alliance with Saren Arterius raised some… critical thoughts in my head. Rather than leaving my lady, I continued to follow me… up until now." The asari said, explaining her position. John stayed quiet, allowing Shiala to continue.

"As we arrived on Feros… Saren decided to sacrifice me to the Thorian creature, in order to learn its secrets of mind control…" Shiala explained. John raised his eyebrows.

"So the Thorian really exists, and is able to control people?" The commander asked. Shiala nodded her head, looking a bit sad as well.

"It was… it's dead now." The asari said. Ashley and Garrus looked at each other, raising their eyebrows in a surprise. John thought it was rather logical.

"Looks like Saren didn't get what he came here for…" He said quietly. Shiala nodded her head.

"I linked my mind with the Thorian's… it shared visions with me… it showed pictures and visions of the history to me…. And during that, I realized how innocent the creature was, and how Saren was trying to use it for his own purposes." The asari explained.

"What purpose did Saren have?" John asked. Shiala sighed quietly.

"He wanted to find out more about indoctrination…. The complex weapon his flagship Sovereign uses to manipulate and control people." She said. John's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sovereign? That's the name of the massive ship? It can control people and indoctrinate them?" The commander asked in sheer disbelief. What kind of a starship could do that?

"I don't know much of the ship… but Sovereign is unlike anything we've ever seen… it's ancient, part of the Reaper fleet, that is hiding somewhere in the galaxy. Saren wanted to use the Thorian's ability, to try to control Sovereign's mind himself. Everyone who has been under the influence of Sovereign has gotten indoctrinated… that includes Saren and Matriarch Benezia…" Shiala explained. John frowned a bit; he started to understand all the zealous followers of Saren, they were all being indoctrinated.

"So, Saren killed the Thorian, after it refused to help him?" Garrus asked, walking next to John. Shiala nodded.

"He ordered his geth troops to kill it, as well as rip me away from its connection… he left me here to be executed by Varania… who your krogan companion just killed." She explained. John nodded in understanding, turning to look at Ashley and Wrex.

"Go back to Zhu's Hope, and see if the colonists have woken up already." The commander ordered. Ash quickly saluted him, making her way out of the ruined room, Wrex following her lead, growling a bit in boredom.

After that, Shiala turned around, walking to the edge of the pit, looking down. As John came next to her, he could see the large body of the Thorian lying on the groundfloor. The creature reminded the commander of a large organic plant that was sentient.

"It had experienced thousands of years during the course of history… it saw the rise and fall of the Prothean Empire, seeing how the Reapers slaughtered them, destroyed them…" Shiala said quietly. John could tell the asari had developed some sort of attachment to the creature.

"You make it sound like the creature was wise." John noted. Shiala chuckled a bit, looking at the creature's corpse.

"It is funny, isn't it? I truly believe the Thorian was a unique and wise life form, only wanting to observe the galaxy in its own way…. Even though that meant controlling innocent people." The asari said, smiling a bit.

After a moment, Shiala suddenly turned towards John again.

"Commander, I need to show you something, which will surely help you in the search for the Conduit. Saren is trying to locate it, and use it to bring back the Reapers from their hiding place." She said. John raised his eyebrows a bit.

"And, what that thing might be?" The commander asked. Shiala signaled him to follow her.

"Come with me, I'll show you." The asari said, staring to walk towards a stairwell, which lead down to the ground floor. John walked behind the asari, Tali and Garrus in turn following him.

After a moment, the four people arrived at the ground floor of the ruined building, near the corpse of the Thorian. Shiala stopped near the Thorian's corpse, sighing deeply. John stopped a couple of meters from her, not being sure what she wanted to show him.

"I'm sorry, Shepard…" The asari said quietly, turning to look at him with sad eyes.

John raised his eyebrows more now, he had no idea what the asari meant. Suddenly a gripping pain filled his head, and he lost all the ability to move his body. John could see black lines and blurry shadow figures in his view.

Tali and Garrus noticed that, and as soon as they tried to help, they were surrounded by several geth troopers. Garrus quickly grabbed one of the geth trooper's rifles, and hit it with the weapon. A couple of other troopers however overwhelmed the fighting turian, restraining him. Tali on the other hand tried to activate her omni-tool, only to have her arm grabbed by a cloaked geth hunter, who decloaked, and restrained the quarian.

As John clenched his teeth together, trying to control the pain he had in his head, he suddenly saw another figure walk in front of him. The gray skinned turian Spectre looked upon his prisoner. Saren smirked deviously, as he looked at John, who was incapacitated.

"A pleasure to finally meet you in person, Commander Shepard…" Saren said with his raspy voice. The human commander breathed rapidly, the pain overwhelming his all senses. He had no idea how Saren was doing it, but it was the most excruciating thing he had ever felt. Saren quickly glanced at Shiala, who stood near him, looking down on the ground with sad eyes.

"Don't feel down now, Shiala… you only did what you had to, in order to stay alive." The turian Spectre said, smirking a bit. Shiala looked at Saren with anger and disgust.

"I did what you ordered, Saren… will you let me live now…?" She asked the evil turian. Saren laughed a bit, and signaled a couple of his geth troopers to grab Shiala, and restrain her.

"In your dreams…. You betrayed me, Shiala… you will be punished for that… take her and the two other away!" The turian ordered. The geth troopers holding Shiala, Garrus and Tali, nodded and left the area, escorting the prisoners with them. Saren then turned his attention back to John. The turian Spectre bent down a bit, as he talked to John straight in front of his face.

"The pain is difficult, isn't it? The pain will go away, if you give in, Shepard." Saren said quietly, his voice filling John's brain's inner parts. The commander started losing his consciousness, the pain was too much for him; he couldn't even scream.

"You have failed your fight, Shepard… I will make you see the truth in my cause… I'll see you soon, night night…" The turian said, smirking a bit, as he walked away from John, signaling another turian soldier near him to walk to him.

"Danarius, take care of him…" Saren ordered. The turian soldier nodded, and walked behind John, quickly hitting him in the head with the butt of his assault rifle. John immediately fell on the ground, being unconscious.

**...**

In the volcanic caves inside the surface of the planet Therum, an echoing sound of a metallic piece of hardware falling on the ground filled the atmosphere. At a small archeological dig site, a lone asari scientist bended down beside her workbench, lifting up the small soldering tool. A salarian engineer walked next to her, sitting down in front of the workbench, starting to work on something. The asari scientist smiled a bit shyly, walking away from her salarian colleague. She walked to another asari scientist, who was looking at several prothean ruins sticking out of the volcanic rock.

"Do we have anything new from this dig site, Senesh?" The young asari asked her colleague. Senesh looked at her companion, smiling a bit.

"Yes, Liara… we definitely will bring new artifacts for the museum from here." The older asari scientist said. Liara smiled, and was filled with excitement; she always wanted to expand her knowledge of ancient civilizations, especially the protheans.

Suddenly the sound of several approaching footsteps echoed throughout the cave system. Liara and Senesh both looked around their surroundings, not being sure what made the noise.

Out of the blue, the loud noise of a gunshot almost deafened the asari scientist. The salarian engineer fell down from his chair, dead, with a bullet hole in his back, smoking a bit. The two asari quickly surrounded their bodies with biotic energy, but a sudden hail of laser fire cut Senesh down, ripping her body to shreds. Liara ducked and covered on the ground, until the firing stopped.

A few moments later, she opened her eyes, and saw a dozen geth troopers, and a krogan soldier in front of her. The krogan warlord smirked a bit.

"Surrender… or don't… that'd be fun." The hulky krogan said. Liara's heart beat rapidly; she knew why the geth had come for her… because of her mother, Benezia.

Liara quickly got up, and tried to run the other way, but suddenly a gigantic three meter tall geth prime jumped in front of her, cutting of her escape. All the geth approached her, their weapons drawn at her. The krogan mercenary walked past the troopers, stopping in front of Liara.

"My boss wants to have a chat with you…. I suggest you surrender now." The krogan said, cocking his shotgun threateningly. Liara swallowed loudly, slowly lifting her hands up, surrendering. Two geth troopers then took her arms, and cuffed her with some advanced geth-made handcuffs. The krogan merc smirked again, as he had now secured his objective.

"Saren's gonna be happy to have you talk to him… I'm sure you'll see reason… and if you won't, I'll get to smash your head…" The krogan said, smiling deviously. Liara sighed deeply; she really was in trouble now.

****Okay, finally I got it done! I'm sorry it took this long, guys. The next chapter might be delayed a bit too, as Watch_Dogs is released in about 8 hours. **

**But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And please, do tell me if I have too many cameo appearances in these. Let me know in the reviews!**

**Have a good one, guys! I appreciate your support.****


	11. Chapter 10: Clash of Titans

**Chapter 10: Clash of Titans**

"John! John, wake up!" Tali pleaded loudly, as two geth troopers violently placed the unconscious commander on the floor of the Kodiak shuttle they were in. Saren had ordered her, Garrus and John, to be taken to the captured shuttle, and fly to an undisclosed location. Tali had no idea what the traitorous turian wanted with them, but she tried her best not to give in to the situation. Garrus, sitting beside her, had the same idea.

"Hey! At least fight someone who can get back at you!" The turian yelled at the two geth soldiers, who just stared back at him, not chirping anything. After that, one of Saren's turian collaborators, Danarius, walked in front of Garrus, laughing a bit.

"You're not in a position to fight back really, Vakarian…" The turian said mockingly, looking at the former C-Sec officer, who was handcuffed. Garrus frowned his face, his mandibles moving angrily. Suddenly, the grey skinned turian traitor walked beside his subordinate.

"You're feisty, Vakarian… I could use someone like you in my cause. Too bad you're too idealistic for that." Saren remarked, looking at Garrus, who stared back at him with hatred.

"You're everything our race avoids to be; you're nothing but a mass murderer, and a traitor." The turian officer said quietly. Saren laughed, and looked right into Garrus' eyes.

"You won't think like that after the Reapers have destroyed everything, and then will you only see that I was trying to save our race…" The spectre traitor said, turning around then, and starting to head back to the shuttle's cockpit, where Danarius left a second earlier. Garrus had had enough.

With a loud shout, Garrus gave all his might to crush the handcuffs binding his hands behind his back. After that, the turian police officer quickly attacked the nearest geth trooper, punching it in the face, and grabbing its rifle. As Garrus turned around, trying to get Saren into his sights, the turian spectre quickly disarmed him, and grabbed his throat, pulling him right to his face.

"Such defiance… it's commendable, but you're too weak, Vakarian." Saren said quietly, holding Garrus by his throat.

"Go to Hell…" Garrus answered, struggling in Saren's grip. The turian spectre frowned, and kicked Garrus in his stomach. After the turian officer had fallen on the ground, Saren placed a couple of strong strikes on his face. Two geth troopers then grabbed Garrus, and handcuffed him again, placing him next to Tali. Saren breathed heavily, frustratingly walking back in to the cockpit. Tali looked at the beaten turian next to him.

"You stupid bosh'tet. Why did you do that?" She asked Garrus. The turian sighed a bit.

"I don't know… I just had to do something." He answered, moving his eyes to look at John, who was still unconscious. Tali sighed deeply, looking down on the ground.

"I wish he'd wake up soon…" She said quietly. Garrus nodded.

"I know, Tali… I wish so too…." The turian answered, looking outside the shuttle's window, seeing the stars outside.

In the next moments, the Kodiak shuttle arrived at Therum, flying towards its high orbit. Saren could see the geth fleet sent to the planet, waiting for his arrival.

"Bring us in to the dreadnaught…" The turian Spectre commanded, sitting on a passenger's seat.

The geth fleet residing in the planet's orbit was moderately sized, but held amazing force. The fleet consisted of 24 geth frigates, and 11 cruisers, all of them together holding about 200 fighters. At the center of the fleet was a massive geth dreadnaught. The dreadnaught was nothing anyone had ever seen in the galaxy, being over 1400 meters long, making it one of the biggest ships around. The massive vessel could hold over 350 fighters alone, making it a tough enemy. The dreadnaught's firepower was more powerful than anything in the whole Alliance fleet, consisting of over 170 laser cannons, and around 40 heavy guns, which could penetrate almost any ship's hull in the Citadel fleet. The dreadnaught had two main cannons in front of it, being able to destroy any Alliance cruiser with a single shot.

The small captured shuttle approached the massive capital ship, bypassing the many cruisers and frigates, which were patrolling close to the dreadnaught. After flying past all the ships, the Kodiak shuttle approached one of the entry points to the dreadnaught's fighterbay. The shuttle flew into the hangar, touching down on the metallic floor, and shutting off its engines.

Inside the shuttle, Saren stood up from his chair, and walked back in to the passenger space, looking at his three cuffed prisoners.

"Don't worry, you two… the Commander will wake up soon enough, and when he does, I'll have a little chat with him." The turian Spectre said, not paying a second of attention to Tali or Garrus, but opening the Kodiak's side door, and stepping out in to the hangar bay. The geth troopers and Danarius took care of the prisoners, escorting them out.

The geth dreadnaught had been modified to include breathable atmosphere, and adequate gravity to keep the organic visitors comfortable, since the geth required neither. As the troopers escorted her out of the shuttle, Tali could feel nothing but fear, as she was now inside a large geth ship, a place where no quarian would ever want to be.

…**..**

The shining floors of an Alliance warship always amazed Joker; how could they keep them so shiny? The limping pilot walked with Ashley and Kaidan through the various hallways of SSV Endeavor, an Alliance Everest-class dreadnaught, the flagship of Admiral Steven Hackett of the Alliance Fifth fleet. The three had entered the ship a couple of minutes earlier, as Joker had docked the Normandy with the Endeavor.

As they arrived at the ship's command bridge, the human admiral stood up from his commander seat, and walked to a round hologram table used for battle briefing, waiting for the three to approach him. Next to Hackett was standing the ship's XO, Captain McDiarmid, who was pushing some buttons on the hologram table. As they arrived to the other side of the table, the three soldiers saluted the admiral. Hackett returned the gesture politely.

"Admiral Hackett, sir… we need your help…" Kaidan started, standing straight. The human admiral crossed his arms, stroking his white bearded chin.

"I heard that Commander Shepard was kidnapped on Feros, by Saren…" Hackett said, stroking his beard. The young lieutenant sighed, and nodded, acknowledging the rumor.

"There was this asari, who asked Shepard to come with her, and the next thing we know, he and two others of our crew were missing, while a group of geth attacked our position." Ashley spoke up, explaining what had happened. Hackett nodded, thinking deeply.

"Hmm, this is a problem. We have no idea what Saren would do to the Commander… all we can do now, is hope that he won't kill him." He said. Joker nodded, but disagreed also.

"What we need to do, is go after them! That's why we came here; we're asking that you'll mobilize the fleet, and come with us to save the commander." The pilot explained. Hackett sighed a bit, stroking his beard again.

"That's a tall order, lieutenant Moreau… we don't know where Saren took Shepard, and furthermore… I'm not sure if the Alliance would approve of such action. Our colony on Ferris Fields was attacked not long ago, by the same ship as on Eden Prime." The admiral said. Captain McDiarmid activated the holotable, showing the holographic picture of the massive alien ship, named Sovereign, though unbeknownst to them.

"The bugger is nothing we've ever seen before… over 2 kilometers tall, and possessing the firepower of over ten cruisers, this ship has destroyed so much already, I'm not sure if we can even fight against it…" The Scottish captain explained, looking at the holographic blueprints of the ship. Hackett thoughtfully looked at the monstrous ship.

"It can't be of geth origin… their ships look a lot different…" The admiral said, activating a hologram of a geth cruiser, placing it next to the alien ship. Ashley nodded, remembering her experiences on Eden Prime.

"It made this weird sound, as it landed on Eden Prime… it's… it's almost like the ship is intelligent… alive…" The young sergeant said quietly. Captain McDiarmid stroked his short beard, thinking.

"The ship really is one hell of a bastard…" The Captain remarked plainly.

"I'll need to contact the Alliance brass about what to do next, but we still have the problem of finding the Commander…" Hackett said. Kaidan spoke up after a couple of seconds, seemingly realizing something.

"All N7 armors have tracking beacons in them! We'll just need to follow the Commander's beacon." Kaidan explained determinately. Hackett nodded in agreement, looking at the captain next to him.

"Search for the Commander's whereabouts on the computer, put in his service number, it's 5923-AC-2826." The admiral ordered. Captain McDiarmid nodded, and put in those numbers to the ship's computer. After a moment, the computer located John's tracking beacon. The holographic table formed an image of the Milky Way Galaxy, centering itself in the Knossos star system, in the Artemis Tau cluster. The planet where John's signal located from was Therum.

"Therum, eh… kinda makes sense why Saren would have a base there; nothing but volcanoes and rocks on that planet…" Captain McDiarmid stated.

"He might have a large fleet guarding it… that's why we need the 5th fleet to help us, admiral." Joker said. Hackett nodded, and stroked his beard in his thoughts. After a moment, the human admiral took a deep breath, and put his hands behind his back.

"Very well, I'll contact the Alliance brass, and ask for permission to get the fleet attack Saren's position on Therum." Hackett said. Joker and the two Alliance marines nodded, saluting the admiral.

"Thank you, admiral… we'll hope for the best." Kaidan said, striking a slight smile.

After that, the three left the Endeavor's bridge, returning to the Normandy.

**...**

The taste of blood was strong in John's mouth, as he sat on the cold metallic floor on his knees. Right in front of him, Tali was kneeled on the floor as well, and Garrus was placed the same a couple of meters next to him.

Behind them all, two geth troopers kept their rifles pointed at their heads. In the middle, Danarius slowly paced around, toying with a powerful riot taser in his hands.

"Truth to be told; Saren doesn't even need you for anything. There's nothing you three can told us that we don't already know. Personally I have no idea why he wants to even keep you alive, but I'm not in the position to judge his orders…" The turian thug said, walking back and forward between Tali and John.

John didn't know either, why Saren would just keep them alive. The turian traitor had said that John would "see the truth" sooner or later, so that made him think, that Saren was waiting to find the Conduit, and release the Reapers, so he could show John his true intentions.

"We're too valuable for him to lose yet…" The commander said quietly. Danarius chuckled a bit, nodding.

"Yes, you're right about that, Shepard. But… that only applies to you…. Not your friends…" The turian said, kneeling down next to Tali, activating the taser. The young quarian's silver eyes widened, and she started to shiver a bit, as Danarius brought the taser closer to her neck. John's urge to fight back got stronger and stronger.

"Don't touch her!" He yelled at the turian, who looked at his human prisoner with a smirk.

"Oooh, am I hearing affection in your voice, Shepard? Now this is juicy…" Danarius said, standing up, and walking towards John, who was puffing with anger. Tali got more and more anxious, as Danarius kneeled down in front of John, pointing the taser at him now.

"Perhaps you want to 'take one for the team', eh Shepard?" The turian asked, smirking, and suddenly stabbing John with the taser, putting it on full power.

The electricity ran through John's body, making him shake and clench his teeth together in pain. Tali almost jumped forward, as she saw that happen, but the two geth troopers behind her kept her at bay.

"No! John! No, stop!" The quarian girl pleaded, but Danarius kept on going with a smirk. Garrus also tried his everything not to just jump at the turian thug.

"Shepard! Shepard, look at me! Stay with us!" He yelled at John, who had a hard time keeping his focus. The taser kept electrocuting him, making him lose consciousness again.

After a moment, the human commander collapsed on the ground, his body not moving. Danarius then stood up, deactivating the taser. Tali screamed in sorrow.

"No! John!" She pleaded, trying to get John to wake up. The commander did not answer though, the electricity had knocked him out completely, and his body was smoking a tiny bit. Danarius turned to look at Garrus and Tali, frowning his face.

"Keep your mouths shut or you'll end up like him." The turian said, before turning around, and leaving the small room. Tali cried behind her helmet, tears running down her cheeks. Her body was shaking, as she cried. Garrus' mandibles moved a lot, he had no idea what to do.

**An hour later…**

John opened his eyes groggily, groaning quietly as he felt slight pain in his chest. The taser had been stronger than the young commander had been trained to hold out against, which made John think that it was of batarian origin.

The human commander opened his eyes fully, looking around the location he was in. He was attached into an electrical device that kept his hands and legs tied up against the wall, with blue electric energy surrounding the cuffs. John looked to his right, and noticed a young asari being in the same position. He hadn't seen this asari before, but he assumed her to be one of Matriarch Benezia's former followers, who turned away from her, like Shiala. The two of them were the only ones in the small room.

As John was about to ask a question from the asari held captive next to him, the room's door slid open, revealing Saren behind it. The traitorous turian Spectre stepped in to the room, two geth troopers guarding him.

"So nice to see you could join us, Commander. Liara here has been such depressing company…" The turian said, quickly looking between John and the asari beside him. John glanced at the asari, hearing her name from Saren's mouth. This must've been Liara T'Soni, the daughter of Benezia, and an expert on the protheans. Saren smirked a bit.

"I did presume that you had heard of her, Shepard. I wouldn't be surprised at all, if you tried to seek her out in order to get more information of the protheans." The turian Spectre said. John looked at him, silently glaring at the turian's eyes. Saren smirked even wider now.

"It was obvious, Shepard… don't look so surprised." Saren said, walking to Liara then, who glared at the turian as well. Saren grabbed the asari scientist's chin, and looked deep into her eyes.

"You are a lot of trouble, girl… you'd do well for yourself, if only you'd work with me and your mother." The turian said in slight frustration. Liara frowned at the turian, moving her head away from his grip.

"I'll die before working with you, or my mother…" The asari said quietly. Saren paid little mind to that, and instead turned to John again.

"Tell me, Shepard… what do you think I'm doing exactly?" The turian asked the young commander. John frowned and groaned quietly, the pain being still apparent.

"What I've heard from your followers, you're some sort of a messiah, who'll save the galaxy… but in reality, you're just a murderer and a traitor to every single living being…" The commander said defiantly. Saren's mandibles moved a bit, and he turned around, as if thinking to himself. Suddenly the turian turned back around at John, and punched him straight in his face. The commander groaned in pain, as Saren's fist struck his cheek.

"Imagine that a million times worse, Shepard! That's what the Reapers will do! Nothing can stop them, and nothing will! I'm saving the galaxy by striking a deal with them!" The turian said zealously.

"The Reapers will destroy everything! There's no deal to be made with them!" Liara spoke up loudly, arguing against Saren. The turian frustratingly sighed, and started to walk out the room.

"You will both see that appeasing the Reapers is the only way any of us can survive their invasion…. You'll see…" Saren said, walking out the room, the two geth troopers following him. After the company had left, John turned to look at the asari next to him.

"Dr. Liara T'Soni?" He asked in a raspy voice. The asari nodded, being silent.

"You were seeking me for my information about the protheans, right?" Liara asked in a quiet voice. John bit his lower lip, and nodded.

"Yes… I'm told that you're an expert on them, and I was hoping you could give more information to me, in order to help me in the fight against Saren…" The commander explained. Liara nodded, and sighed quietly.

"I have studied the protheans for half of my life… I know more about them than my own race's history." She explained. John wished he could rub his cheek, to make the pain from Saren's punch go away for at least a bit.

"Do you know anything about the Reapers?" He then asked, trying to keep his thoughts clear. Liara sighed again.

"Not much… only that they were the reason for the Prothean Empire's disappearance. They spent centuries erasing everything from the vast empire that the protheans had built during the course of thousands of years…." The asari scientist explained.

"Why aren't the Reapers public knowledge, and their part in the protheans' downfall?" John asked Liara, being confused.

"I guess most people haven't figured it out yet… I only found out about it recently, after Saren had already allied himself with the geth." Liara answered, sighing a bit.

After that, John nodded, looking down on the ground in front of him, sighing deeply.

"Please be alright, Tali… and Garrus…" He hoped silently, closing his eyes while sighing.

…**..**

A metallic door slid open, revealing a small and cold room behind it. Shiala stood in front of the room, her hands cuffed, and two geth troopers aiming her head with their rifles. Behind the soldiers stood another asari follower of Saren, waiting for the geth to escort the recent traitor into the room.

"Keep moving." The asari said, ordering Shiala to step in. As the former follower of Matriarch Benezia entered the room, Shiala's body started to glow blue. Seeing this, the asari soldier behind her grabbed an Acolyte pistol from her hip.

"Don't even think about-…" The asari said, only to be cut short, as Shiala suddenly broke the handcuffs binding her hands as the blue energy surrounded her. The two geth troopers reacted and aimed their rifles at her, but Shiala quickly ducked and turned around, using her biotic powers to rip the other geth soldier's insides out. After the robot fell on the ground, deactivated, Shiala dashed to the right with her powers, quickly grabbing the other geth's rifle, and destroying the robot with a powerful warp pulse.

After that, Shiala bended her back down towards the ground, dodging the asari soldier's shots. Then the powerful asari kicked the pistol from her former ally's hands, and pushed her violently against the wall with her biotics. The asari soldier groaned in pain, trying to push herself up from the cold floor. Shiala walked to her, taking the Acolyte pistol from the ground, and pointing it at her. The asari looked in her eyes.

"Look at you… defying everything you stood with just a little while ago… you're a disgrace, Shiala…" The soldier said, her voice full of anger. Shiala looked at her coldly, her face not showing much emotion.

"I wish I had defied earlier, Aona…" She said simply, pulling the trigger on the pistol. The shot pierced the asari's head, killing her instantly, and spraying blue hued blood on the floor, and the wall nearby.

After that, Shiala took a deep breath, and opened her eyes to a deep frown.

"And now… I'll kill your master…" She said quietly, her voice filled with defiant confidence, and rage. The powerful asari warrior then started to head towards the dreadnaught's command bridge, where Saren would no doubt be.

…**..**

On the geth dreadnaught's bridge, Saren's right hand man Danarius, was standing in front of a railing that overlooked the rest of the bridge. Dozens of geth troopers worked on countless of holographic consoles and dashboards, managing the ship's different systems.

Behind him, Saren approached the railing, climbing up the few stairs that lead to it. The krogan mercenary, Jorvag Kosh, who had brought Liara in earlier, was standing at the root of the stairs, waiting for Saren, as he was his bodyguard.

"Anything new?" The turian spectre asked, leaning over the railing as well. Danarius shook his head, his mandibles moving a bit.

"No, but I'm quite sure we'll have company soon… Shepard's kidnapping must have not gone by blind eyes." The turian soldier said, looking out the huge windows, showing the vast emptiness of space around Therum. Many of the geth cruisers and frigates floated around peacefully in the cold high orbit of the planet.

"The Alliance will surely come to his rescue… Shepard is their poster boy now, being a spectre and all…" Saren said in his raspy voice.

Suddenly some of the consoles on the bridge started to blink and beep, causing the geth crewmembers to frantically work on them. Danarius seemed to guess what was going on.

"Those are the long range sensors… something big is approaching…" The turian henchman said. Saren smirked a bit, looking out the large windows.

After a few seconds, dozens of Alliance warships suddenly jumped in to Therum's high orbit, several kilometers away from the geth fleet. Danarius opened his mouth in disbelief, but Saren smirked.

"And there they are." The turian spectre said observantly, suddenly turning around from the railing, and walking down the few steps. As he was leaving, Saren turned back at Danarius, giving him last minute orders.

"You'll be in charge of the fleet for now, Danarius… I'll need to rendezvous with Sovereign on Virmire." He instructed. The turian henchman's mandibles were moving uncomfortably.

"Sir, there are at least a hundred Alliance ships! We can't beat them!" Danarius pleaded. Saren smirked a bit, not caring too much of his servant's worry.

"They want Shepard alive… they won't destroy this ship… not at least until they have their precious commander. You'll make sure that Shepard does not leave this ship alive. Keep the fleet organized, and hold them back as long as possible. When they overwhelm you, execute Shepard, and evacuate." The turian spectre ordered. Danarius wasn't at all sure of the plan, but he wasn't one to question direct orders.

"As you wish… sir…" The turian soldier said quietly, turning back around, looking outside the window, and overlooking the bridge's operations. Saren then started walking out of the bridge, heading towards one of the hallways leading to many of the ship's inner parts. As he walked past the krogan warrior Kosh, Saren flicked his hand, signaling him to follow.

"Come Kosh, time to leave." The spectre said, as if he was commanding a dog. Kosh grunted quietly, and started to follow his boss. Four geth troopers also armed themselves, and followed Saren away from the bridge, acting as his personal guard.

After the group had left, Danarius sighed quietly, leaning over the railing, looking at the geth pilots and troopers under his command.

"Battle stations! Contact all the other ships in the fleet, form a defensive spear and load the missile launchers with high voltage pulse torpedoes!" The turian soldier ordered, after which the geth forces began their work.

…**..**

The Normandy jumped in to Therum's orbit from light speed, being quickly surrounded by the other Alliance ships from the fifth fleet. The advanced frigate slowed down its speed, coming to a near stop at the front of the fleet.

The Alliance 5th fleet was the third largest fleet in the Alliance navy, being outnumbered by the first, and the third fleet. The fleet consisted of around 60 cruisers, and 45 frigates, as well as two 750 meter long fighter carriers, which could house over 500 fighters in total. The fleet's pride was an 820 meters long dreadnaught, the SSV Endeavour, Admiral Hackett's flagship. The Endeavour was the Alliance's second largest dreadnaught, the SSV Yamato of the fourth fleet being over 860 meters long.

The Alliance had the least amount of large dreadnaughts out of the major military powers in the galaxy, being limited by the Treaty of Farixen. Only seven dreadnaughts were in service currently in the Alliance navy, most of them coordinated in Earth's and other major colonies' defenses. The Endeavour was one of the only dreadnaughts, that was in active combat service, making it more effective than most of the other ones.

The turians held the largest amount of dreadnaughts in a military fleet, having 34 of them. The asari and salarians had more than humanity, but were nowhere near the turians' strength, the asari possessing 16 dreadnaughts, and the salarians 10 dreadnaughts. The batarian fleet had an unknown number of these large warships, but Alliance and Turian Hierarchy estimates assumed their dreadnaught count to be over 20. Like the batarians, the geth were not subjected to the Treaty, so they possessed an unknown number of dreadnaughts.

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau was sitting in his adequately comfortable chair, in the frigate's cockpit. One of the things Joker had never understood while serving in the Alliance, was why they couldn't spend more money on crew accommodations and comfort? He didn't want to complain too much, but he did hope for a comfy leather seat, where he could sit on all day, while flying the most advanced warship in Citadel space.

His thoughts were cut short, as Kaidan came next to him, sitting down on the co-pilot's seat, starting up the console in front of him. The young lieutenant then activated the comms down to the main battery.

"Ashley, is everything up and running?" Kaidan asked, checking a few weapons system charts on the dashboards in front of him.

"Ready as they'll ever be, Lt. Let's go kick some geth butt, and save the commander." Ashley spoke through the speaker. After that, Joker activated the main defense systems, increasing the power output going to the ship's shields. Suddenly the general commlink system got activated.

"All ships of the fifth fleet, this is Admiral Hackett. This is a big and dangerous moment for us all; we've never faced the geth full on in a naval battle, and thus we know nothing about their weapons or tactics. Do not fear, though… you are the finest the Alliance has to offer, we... will… not… fail. Assume attack formation delta, we'll cut right through these geth, and save our newly appointed spectre." Admiral Hackett's inspiring voice said, sending chills down on most of the fleet's crews.

After that, the several frigates and cruisers around the Normandy powered up their engines, sending them towards the geth fleet. Joker activated the Normandy's engines as well, thrusting the ship slowly with the others. Several fighter squadrons took off from the two carriers' hangar bays, flying in clean formations to the front of the attacking force. Admiral Hackett's dreadnaught stayed at the end of the fleet with the carriers, having most of the fleet engage the enemy in closer combat.

In the next few minutes, the large Alliance fleet approached the geth fleet, which prepared for defense. Hundreds of geth fighters detached themselves off from several geth cruisers' hulls, as well as leaving in large formations out of the dreadnaughts numerous hangars.

As the geth fighters closed in rapidly, the Alliance fighters increased their speed, powering up their frontal shields. Joker increased the Normandy's speed as well, following closely behind and with the F-61 Tridents. Kaidan took a deep breath, squeezing hardly on his chair's armrests.

"First time in a naval battle?" Joker asked, activating more defensive systems, and preparing the main batteries for firing. Kaidan nodded, also raising his eyebrows.

"You haven't been in a naval battle either, have you?" The young lieutenant asked. The pilot smirked a bit, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, simulations are pretty realistic these days, Kaidan…" Joker assured, activating the targeting computer to automatically pick up any geth fighters in range. Suddenly the commlink sprung to life again, this time the fighter fleet's commander speaking.

"All fighters pick your targets! Open fire!" The commander yelled to the commlink system.

Immediately after that, large numbers of the Alliance fighters broke off from formations, quickly dodging the incoming geth fighters' laser shots. Some of the unfortunate Alliance fighters got ripped apart by laser fire almost immediately. Joker steered the Normandy to its side, its main batteries opening fire on the passing geth fighters, destroying them with single shots of the powerful javelin missiles.

Several geth fighters got to the approaching cruisers and frigates now, dodging their anti-fighter flak fire, some of them getting blown to pieces. The first cruisers at the front of the attacking force launched several anti-ship missiles at the incoming geth cruisers and frigates. The fast moving missiles hit the geth ships at the front of the fleets defensive spear, destroying a couple of frigates immediately, but making relatively small damage to the cruisers, as they possessed more powerful and advanced kinetic barriers.

Now was the geth fleet's turn. The cruisers and frigates now launched their own anti-ship missiles, which approached the Alliance ships with great speed. Couple of the cruisers at the front of the fleet deployed flares in an effort to counter the missiles. The advanced high voltage geth missiles however penetrated the Alliance ship defenses with ease, and struck into the cruisers' and frigates' hulls, destroying them immediately.

The Normandy steered clear of one anti-ship missile, which then hit another Alliance frigate behind it, exploding the ship into little pieces that scattered around like bugs.

The first major battle between the geth, and humankind, had begun.

…**..**

Inside a small jail cell kind of a room, Garrus and Tali were sitting on the cold metallic floor. Suddenly the ship shook just a bit, and they could start hearing quiet muffled sounds of explosions outside. Tali activated increased the noise input in her envirosuit's helmet, hearing the battle sounds a bit clearer.

"The fleet is under attack… maybe it's the Alliance." Tali said, her voice sounding hopeful. Garrus sighed a bit.

"They probably don't know we're here, though… so… if they win, this ship will be destroyed…" The turian police officer said grimly. Tali frowned a bit, and shook her head.

"You're such a bosh'tet, Garrus…" She said quietly, leaning her back against the cold wall.

Suddenly, the room's door slid open, revealing Shiala on the other side. The asari was surprised to see the two sitting on the floor.

"Oh, you two are here, good. Come out, we're getting out of here." Shiala said to the two. Still being angry at her for betraying John's trust, Tali immediately leaped forward, trying to attack Shiala. Garrus saw that coming, and quickly grabbed Tali by her waist, holding her back.

"You blue bitch! You betrayed us! Where's John! Where's my nir'vallen?!" Tali screamed at the asari, who took a couple steps back. Shiala sighed quietly.

"I don't know, but I'm sure he's alive, don't worry…" She said to the raging quarian. Garrus, still holding Tali back, frowned his face, while looking at Shiala.

"Why should we trust you? You got us into this mess…" The turian asked. Shiala shook her head in protest.

"Believe it or not, but I actually save you, and many innocents. Saren and the geth would've gotten to you no matter what, and many innocents, and maybe you too, would have died during that fight… this way there wasn't any bloodshed." The asari assured. Tali still huffed in anger, but hold herself from attacking Shiala any further. Garrus saw that she calmed down, and let Tali go, who then crossed her arms, still frowning strongly.

"I'm not going anywhere, until we've saved John." Tali declared determinately. Shiala agreed, but suddenly looked down on the ground.

"You two go find him… I'll go find Saren…" She said, starting to leave the two there. Garrus stopped her, being confused.

"What are you going to do?" The turian asked. Shiala frowned, and squeezed her hands into fists.

"I'll kill him…" She said quietly, but determinately. After that, Shiala left Tali and Garrus, speaking as she walked away.

"Do not wait for me to come back… just save yourselves." The asari warrior said, walking down the long hallway, heading towards the central hangar bays.

After Shiala had left, Tali began to walk to the other direction, urging Garrus to follow her.

"Come on! We need to go find John." The young quarian said in a rush, walking fast towards the other side of the hallway.

**Five minutes later…**

The muffled sounds of the battle raging outside in space made John feel uneasy. He knew the Alliance military was not fitted for destroying the entire geth army, and he was worried that the geth fleet outside was proving to be much too powerful for the Alliance navy, that had came in for their rescue. Liara beside him had seemingly lost all hope of getting out of that small room, where they were held in as prisoners.

Suddenly John heard gunshots, and the sounds of geth troopers being destroyed, or at least he assumed as much. A few seconds later, the door slid open, and a single geth trooper fell down on the ground, its flashlight head shutting down. After that, John could see Garrus walking over the geth's deactivated body, holding a geth made pulse rifle. The young commander sighed in relief, and Liara looked curiously, as both Garrus and Tali entered the room. As soon as Tali saw John, she activated her omni-tool, and released the two prisoners from their "chains". Both John and Liara fell on the ground, after which Tali immediately rushed to the young human, hugging him, and then framing his face with her hands, stroking his cheek, where the red marking from Saren's hit was still visible.

"Oh, John… I got so worried. Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" The young quarian asked quietly, gently stroking John's face, who in turn looked into Tali's eyes, smiling.

"You know… you have beautiful eyes." He said plainly, smiling a bit. Tali blushed a bit behind her helmet, gently hitting John on his cheek.

"Bosh'tet." She whispered quietly, so that only John could hear. Meanwhile, Garrus helped Liara up, who seemed to be both grateful, as well as scared.

"Thank you." She said to the turian, who struck a quick smile at her, before looking at Tali and John, who were still on the ground, Tali caressing John's face. Garrus cleared his throat.

"Ahem… we should get out of this ship, Commander." He said, getting John's attention, who a bit embarrassingly got up with Tali, and nodded.

"Uh, yeah… let's go." The commander said, and quickly picked up a geth rifle from the ground, and walked in front of the door. He then looked at Liara.

"Can you fight, Ms T'Soni?" John asked the asari scientist, who reluctantly nodded.

"Yes… although I'd wish to avoid conflicts…" She said quietly. Garrus laughed just a bit.

"No worries, you have me and Shepard here protecting you." The turian said, smirking a bit. Tali raised her eyebrows a bit.

"Who is she even?" She asked, maybe a bit rudely.

"She's Dr. Liara T'Soni, Tali... we've been looking for her for her information on the protheans." John explained to his quarian friend, who nodded in understanding. After that, John walked out in to the hallway, looking around.

"Follow me; I think I know where to go." John said, signaling the three aliens to follow him. Garrus smirked a bit.

"You think? Now that's comforting…" The turian said jokingly. As they left the room, Liara sighed a bit.

"Goddess… what kind of a team is this…?" She asked quietly from herself, seeing how John and Garrus could joke at a situation like this.

…**..**

On the bridge of the geth dreadnaught, Danarius was standing in front of a holographic table that showed the battle raging outside for strategic planning. The turian now in command of the fleet could see the geth ships slowly getting outnumbered and destroyed by the Alliance warships.

Even though the geth fleet had been successful in destroying many Alliance ships at first, now they were being destroyed themselves, by the overwhelming firepower of the dozens of Alliance battleships.

Danarius sighed in frustration, seeing how all the geth forces were picked off one by one, and the Alliance fleet was now pounding the dreadnaught's kinetic barriers.

"Send out more fighters! And target the largest cruisers with the main cannon." The turian commanded to the geth troopers working near him, who all chirped in response, and continued to do their work, adapting to Danarius' orders.

Suddenly, one of the geth chirped at him, and activated some surveillance footage on the holographic table, which showed John leading the other three captives through a hallway. Danarius pounded the table with his fist in anger.

"Damn it!" The turian yelled in frustration, and immediately turned around, making his way out the bridge, grabbing a turian Phaeston rifle leaning on a wall.

"Keep the bridge secure, stay in your positions!" The turian still ordered, before leaving the bridge to go find John, and eliminate him.

…**..**

The doors to one of the hangar areas on the dreadnaught opened, letting Saren and his guard of geth troopers and Jorvag Kosh enter the large room filled with fighters and gunships. A relatively small geth corvette was prepped for launch nearby, and Saren made his way towards it.

Just as the turian spectre was about to board the corvette, a sudden gunshot pierced a geth trooper's head right next to him. As Saren turned to look around at the assailant, he could see Shiala standing on an elevated walkway, aiming her pistol at him. Saren smirked a bit.

"I thought that you made it too easy, Shiala…" The turian said. Shiala frowned heavily, and was ready to squeeze the trigger on her Acolyte pistol.

"I won't stop until I've killed you, Saren…" She answered determinately. Saren laughed and shook his head.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to fulfill that goal… Kosh… kill her…" He said, looking at the krogan warrior near him. Just before Shiala was able to shoot Saren in the head, the geth troopers opened fire, which forced her to change her position. Kosh saw this as an opportunity to take his Striker assault rifle out, and start firing at the fleeing asari. Shiala had no choice but to leave, running out of the hangar. Kosh smirked and began pursuit, using his krogan strength to give him increased speed.

After that, Saren signaled his geth troopers to board the corvette with him.

"Come on; let's get out of here…" The turian spectre said, boarding the ship. The geth followed him, and closed the ship's main airlock.

After a few moments, the geth pilots ignited the ship's engines, and lifted it off the hangar's floor, flying it out the bay, into the empty space, which was now filled with explosions and laserfire. Thanks for the battle; Saren's corvette was nearly invisible amidst all the chaos, which made his escape easy.

Not many moments later, the corvette had cleared its way out of the battle, and immediately jumped to lightspeed, leaving the planet Therum behind it.

…**..**

On board the SSV Endeavor, Admiral Hackett was sitting on his commander's seat, overlooking the bridge's operations. Captain McDiarmid issued orders beside him, looking out the windows to see many of the Alliance ships wrecked.

Suddenly another geth missile hit one of the Alliance cruisers ahead of the Endeavor, destroying it into to pieces.

"Jesus Christ! The flashlight heads have some mean firepower!" The Scottish captain said in sheer disbelief. Admiral Hackett stroked his beard, looking at the battle in front of him with a firm face.

"We are winning this battle for now, Captain. That geth dreadnaught remains our biggest problem, destroying it is our main goal." The admiral said, pointing at the massive geth ship at the middle of the fighting fleet. Captain McDiarmid agreed, but activated a holographic overview of the battle in front of Hackett, highlighting all the remaining geth cruisers, which surrounded the dreadnaught.

"We've just about destroyed all the remaining frigates, but there are still several cruisers around. We should destroy them, before directing all of our firepower against the dreadnaught." The Captain suggested.

Before Hackett could answer, the geth dreadnaught suddenly fired its main cannon, which quaked the entire battle area. The powerful shot hit an Alliance cruiser, destroying it completely in a bright explosion. The pieces of the wreckage hit a couple of Alliance frigates near it, damaging them lightly. Captain McDiarmid opened his mouth in disbelief.

"Holy cracker on a Christmas tree!" The Scottish man exclaimed. Hackett squeezed his hands into fists, standing up from his seat.

"All ships, direct your fire at the dreadnaught! Fighter-bombers and frigate sections A and C, destroy the remaining cruisers." The admiral ordered, to which Captain McDiarmid nodded, and deactivated the hologram, now making sure Hackett's orders were heard all across the fleet.

Outside in the battle, the Normandy flew past several Alliance ships, firing its cannons at the passing geth fighters, and gunships. Joker skillfully dodged the enemy fire with the agile frigate, flying past a couple of geth cruisers, which futilely tried to fire upon the advanced warship.

After a few seconds, Joker steered the ship towards one geth cruiser, locking the targeting system on it. Joker smirked a bit, as he activated the Normandy's most powerful weapon, a ballistic missile launcher, loaded with powerful anti-ship missiles.

"Kiss my ass goodbye!" The bearded pilot cheered, pressing the firing button on his dashboard, launching the missile. In the next seconds, the missile launched itself from the bottom of the ship, flying fast towards the cruiser. The missile pierced the cruiser's hull, digging itself deep into its bowels, before exploding. The cruiser exploded from inside out, tearing itself to pieces. The Normandy flew past the destroyed geth ship, both Joker and Kaidan cheering inside the cockpit.

…**..**

In the empty hallways of the get dreadnaught, John was leading his companions towards the hangar bay, in order to escape the massive ship. As they passed several other hallways, Garrus seemed to figure out something. The turian stopped and got everyone's attention.

"Wait, how can we even escape the ship?" Garrus asked; his mandibles moving. John raised his eyebrow a bit.

"By taking a ship from the hangar, why?" He asked his turian teammate. Tali seemed to understand, what Garrus was trying to get at.

"Oh damn… he's right, John. The dreadnaught has its kinetic barriers up; we won't be able to take off." She explained. John understood that, and frustratingly sighed, leaning on the metallic wall. Liara was also pondering on what to do about the situation.

"We would need to disable the shields, before leaving." The asari said, to which Tali struck a 'no shit, Sherlock' face behind her helmet. After a few moments, Garrus came up with an idea.

"Okay, so we need to disable the shields… I can do that." The turian officer said. John didn't like that plan.

"That's too dangerous, Garrus; this ship is filled with geth…" He noted. Garrus shook his head, continuing.

"Most of the geth are too busy keeping the ship going during this battle. I'll just need to go to the main generator, and disable it." He explained. Tali then activated her omni-tool, bringing up the holographic blueprints of the ship.

"We are relatively close by to the main reactors of the ship… if Garrus is lucky and fast, he would be able to disable them, and make his way back to the furthest back hangars." She explained pointing at different parts of the blueprint. John still wasn't assured of it.

"I still don't like it… it's risky." The commander said. Garrus nodded, and patted John's shoulder.

"I know, commander, but I'll be fine. I won't take long." The turian said, and immediately turned around, starting to run towards the furthest ends of the dreadnaught.

"Be sure not to die!" John yelled after him, to which the turian laughed quietly.

"No promises!" He yelled back at his human companion, continuing his travel towards the main reactors.

After that, John looked at the two women in front of him, sighing a bit.

"Okay, ladies… let's go find a ship for us." He said, leading the two with him towards the hangars.

Many hallways further, Danarius was standing amidst a group of geth, having his omni-tool activated, which had listened on John's team's conversation. The turian then deactivated his holographic tool, and looked at the geth beside him.

"Send word to every patrol on the ship; Find and eliminate Shepard. I'll take care of Vakarian…" He said to the soldier, who nodded its head, and chirped as an answer. After that, the turian soldier made his way to the same destination as Garrus, while the geth patrol started to head towards the hangars.

…**..**

A group of geth troopers calmly worked on the dreadnaught's main cannons inside a small control room, which overlooked the cannon's main chamber. As the simple troopers minded their own business, operating the huge weapon, a loud bang suddenly took their attention.

Out of the blue, down in the main chamber of the cannon, a small hole exploded on the wall, throwing a krogan through it, into a support pillar, making a dent into it. Jorvag Kosh grunted in pain and frustration, as he slowly got up. Shiala walked through the hole, her whole body surrounded by blue biotic energy.

"That all you've got, bitch? Come on, at least put some effort into it!" The krogan yelled in rage, getting up, huffing like the Big Bad Wolf. Shiala approached the wounded krogan warrior, frowning strongly.

"I haven't even gotten started yet." She said coldly, shooting an unstable ball of biotic energy at Kosh, which made him fall over again, coughing up blood. Kosh squeezed his hands tightly into fists, getting up again, buffing up his bloodrage.

"I'll crush your little head like a bug, and then I'll care your heart out." The krogan intimidated the powerful asari warrior, who didn't flinch from his threats.

"Try it, I dare you…" She answered strongly, powering up another biotic attack.

Suddenly, Shiala could hear dozens of clanking sounds approaching. A large group of geth troopers, hunters, and juggernauts ran from behind a corner, which lead to a hallway out of the main chamber. The geth surrounded Shiala and Kosh in a few seconds, raising their weapons at the lone asari warrior. Kosh laughed quietly, smirking his devious smile at Shiala.

"What now, bitch?" The krogan asked mockingly. Shiala chuckled silently; Kosh had no idea what she had in her sleeve.

Out of the blue, Shiala suddenly hit her glowing fists on the ground, sending a shockwave a couple of meters around her. The blast stunned the geth troopers and Kosh, who staggered a bit because of it. Then the powerful asari warrior charged up to Kosh, dashing against him, and throwing him to the center of the chamber, where a central control panel was sitting unused.

As the wounded krogan was getting up slowly, Shiala was looking around the chamber, trying to find something she could use to her advantage. The geth quickly regained their senses, and now started heading towards Shiala's and Kosh's new location. Shiala couldn't think of any other options, so she suddenly launched a biotic energy field at one of the main cannon's rifling parts, ripping it apart from its base on the ceiling of the chamber. After she did that, Shiala turned her attention to Kosh, who was still getting up. As she was about to attack Kosh again with her powers, the krogan mercenary suddenly pulled a heavy pistol from his hip, and fired.

The shot pierced Shiala's left shoulder, making her grunt in pain. As she staggered back, Kosh suddenly stood up completely, and fired again, the pistol's shot piercing Shiala's chest on the right side. The asari warrior turned around, and staggered back on the control panel, leaning on it. Kosh walked in front of her, shooting again, this time piercing her stomach. As the geth group surrounded them again, Shiala slowly slipped down on the ground. Kosh smirked deviously.

"You failed…" The krogan remarked mockingly, readying to shoot Shiala again. The asari warrior coughed up blue blood, losing her strength with every passing second. She moved her left hand along the control panel, searching for something. After a moment, she then looked at her adversary, smiling a bit, while blood came out of her mouth.

"You too…" She remarked, and struck the control panel with her fist filled with biotic energy, breaking it. The control panel activated the cannon, starting to move the rifling circles, powering up the dreadnaught's main weapon. The geth troopers immediately opened fire on Shiala, shooting her full of holes.

"Enough!" Kosh ordered, making the synthetics stop, as he looked around the chamber, hearing the overwhelming hum of the main cannon powering up. The krogan noticed the broken down circle of the rifling in the ceiling, which Shiala had just ripped apart. Realizing what would happen, Kosh looked at the dead asari warrior, chuckling up a bit.

"Heh…. Fucking clever bitch…" He said quietly, remaining to stand right in front of her dead body.

As the geth troopers in the control room tried frantically to stop the cannon from firing, it was already too late. A few seconds later, the cannon fired, the main shell and the powerful shockwave closing in on Kosh's and the other geth troopers' position with speed. Only a few seconds after that, the shot moved through the area, being disrupted by the broken down rifling part, which made it lose control. The shot exploded, sending fire and destruction throughout the whole firing chamber, disintegrating everything in its wake.

The destruction shook the entire geth dreadnaught, making it move uncontrollably for a bit. The hallways John, Tali and Liara were walking through trembled and made them lose their balance. The lights placed on the ceiling flickered frantically for a while, before settling down. After a couple of moments, the destruction of the main cannon had come to an end, bringing the ship back to its normal state, though being significantly weakened.

Near the main reactors, both Garrus and Danarius felt the effects as well, as the entire ship had shaken the hallways where they walked upon. Danarius looked around his surroundings, not being sure what just had happened. Garrus, a few hallways and rooms ahead, was thinking the same, also getting a bit worried.

Hundreds of meters away, John and his two companions stood up from the ground, having regained their balance after the trembling had ended. The young human commander looked around confused.

"What just happened?" He asked quietly, looking around. Tali activated her omni-tool on an instinct, checking the ship's status. The blueprints showed how much the explosion had damaged the ship.

"There was a major explosion in the main cannon's firing chamber… it has completely destroyed the upper decks of the ship throughout its length…" The quarian engineer explained, looking at the ship's hologram. Liara gasped quietly.

"Goddess… this ship is falling apart…" The asari scientist said quietly, being distressed. John lifted his arm up reassuringly.

"Now, now… we're still good, the ship seems to have stabilized itself, as long as the shields hold, the Alliance fleet shouldn't be able to destroy it… at least yet." The commander said. Tali clicked a few holographic buttons on her omni-tool, checking the ship's defense's status.

"The kinetic barriers are holding at only 16% anymore… it won't take too long for the Alliance fleet to send this dreadnaught sky high…" She said worriedly. John still remained calm, and reassuringly placed his hand on Tali's shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Tali… we'll get out of here." He said softly, which made Tali smile slightly behind her helmet. After that, John looked around again, and then signaled the two women to follow him again.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." He said in an assuring tone, moving fast towards the hangars.

**...**

As Garrus entered the main reactor room, he could only gasp and hold his mouth open. The whole area was larger than any room he had ever seen. It was bigger than one of the largest turian frigates in the Hierarchy's fleet, being filled with huge generators and other equipment. Many of the generators were divided to different levels, with elevated walkways crossing them all around the reactor room. Only looking at the place made Garrus' head spin.

"Damn… where'd I get myself now…." The turian sighed deeply, looking around the place, having no idea how to disable the ship's kinetic barriers.

As the turian police officer was slowly walking around the large room, looking around, another turian entered the room, walking on one of the elevated walkways, and observing Garrus. After a few moments observing what Garrus was up to, Danarius decided to speak up.

"Looking for something, Vakarian?" The turian asked the police officer, who turned around and immediately aimed his geth rifle at the traitorous soldier. Garrus kept his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at Danarius, who smirked a bit.

"Seems like Saren didn't want to stick around. Well, too bad for him, but this ship is going down, with you, if necessary…" Garrus answered, aiming straight on Danarius' head. The other turian didn't care about Garrus' threatening, and simply just continued to walk forward, while keeping an eye on him.

"You're all alone now, you know? The whole ship is looking for Shepard… he's most likely dead already." Danarius said, readying his Phaeston rifle. Garrus didn't believe that, his mandibles moving frantically.

"Shut up!" The turian yelled in protest. Danarius chuckled a bit, stopping, and turning his body to face Garrus now.

"You won't leave alive here either…" He said threateningly, and with a fast swing, aimed his rifle at Garrus, opening fire. Thanks to his military training, Garrus was quick on his reflexes, dodging Danarius' bullets, and rolling to the right, getting up and starting to run deeper into the reactor room. Danarius ran after Garrus, shooting his rifle mercilessly.

**...**

The geth dreadnaught's alarms rang in the hallways, as John ran ahead of his squad. A couple of geth troopers ran towards them from behind a corner, aiming their rifles at the group. John athletically jumped ahead, and started sliding on the metallic floor, shooting the geth pulse rifle in his hands. Tali activated her omni-tool, shooting it at the geth troopers, and disabling their shields, which made John's job easier. After a few moments, the four troopers had been dealt with.

John took a deep breath, as he stood up from the ground, being relieved that the firefights with the geth had been so few. Tali walked past him, looking at the dead geth troopers, and then activating her omni-tool again, looking at the ship's blueprints.

"Alright, the hangars are right behind those doors over there." The quarian said, pointing at a large metallic door at the end of the hallway. John smiled a bit; they were almost out. Liara walked up behind John, sighing a bit.

"I hope that turian C-Sec officer is able to disable the shields… and come back alive." She said quietly. Before John could answer anything to do that, the metallic geth door behind him suddenly slid open.

Just as John turned around to see what happened, a large metallic arm of a geth prime shoved the pulse rifle out of his hands. Before he could react further, the prime kicked John right in his stomach, pushing him back against the wall a couple of meters back. Liara surrounded her body with biotic energy, but the prime saw that, and mercilessly swung its strong left arm at her, hitting the asari scientist straight in her face, and throwing her on the floor. Tali jumped a bit, and backed away slowly, but fortunately for her, the prime hadn't noticed her yet.

As John grunted in pain, trying to get up from the ground, the prime approached him slowly, aiming its powerful chaingun at him, starting to rotate the gun's barrel. Tali frantically looked around, trying to come up with a solution. Her dearest friend's life was in serious danger, which bolstered her courage.

After a few seconds, Tali noticed a geth plasma shotgun lying on the ground, next to one of the dead troopers. Without a second thought, Tali grabbed the shotgun from the ground, not believing how heavy it was. The young quarian girl lifted the gun up, and aimed it at the prime, frantically trying to find the trigger with her three fingers. A few seconds later, Tali found the trigger, and pulled it with her fingers without thinking the consequences. The shot powerfully pierced the geth prime's entire body, but the kickback of the shotgun pushed the gun on Tali's chest, making her lose all the air in her lungs, and throw her back on the ground.

After that, the geth prime staggered around, being confused on what had happened. John grunted, as he got up, and then surrounding himself with biotic energy, seeing the prime's confusion as his chance. The young commander then reached out with his powers at the geth, clenching his teeth together, as he ripped the prime's insides out of its armored outer skin. The prime's insides poured out of its body, accompanied by white blood like fluid, which ran in the tubes that surrounded a geth's body and insides.

After a few moments, everything had calmed down again, with the prime falling on the ground, being deactivated. As John took a deep breath, he could see Liara getting up from the floor as well, holding a hand on her lip, which was bleeding. The young commander then turned to look at Tali, and saw her lying motionless on the floor.

Without wasting time, John ran to his quarian friend, and kneeled down next to her, wrapping his arms around her, and lifting her up to lean on his body. Liara also walked to the two. John gently stroked Tali's helmet's cheek, trying to wake her up.

"Tali…. Tali, wake up… it's me." He said quietly. After a moment, Tali opened her eyes, seeing John's strong brown eyes looking down at her, smiling slightly. That sight filled her heart with joy and warmness; she wished she could feel it more often.

"Hello…" The quarian said quietly, smiling behind her helmet. John smiled widely, and sighed in relief, loving to see Tali's silver eyes sparkling at him. John then helped Tali up, suddenly hugging her, after she was on her feet.

"That was stupid, Tali… but thank you…" The Commander said quietly. Tali smiled, and returned the hug, whispering into John's ear.

"I know… but I did it for you." She answered. Liara smiled too, seeing it, but then cleared her throat.

"Ahem, we should keep moving, you two." She noted, to which both Tali and John nodded.

After a few seconds of collecting themselves, the group then made their way into the hangar bay nearby.

**...**

Garrus ran behind one of the large generators, which exceeded on the walkway he was in. Taking cover, the turian officer looked around, trying to find some way to disable the ship's shields. Danarius walked on the overlooking walkway, shooting his rifle at Garrus' position.

"Just give up, Vakarian!" The turian soldier yelled, reloading his assault rifle. Garrus frowned, and answered with a burst of geth pulse rounds out of his rifle. Danarius chuckled, and hopped over the railing of the walkway, jumping down on the walkway Garrus was on. The turian soldier approached Garrus, pressing a couple of buttons on his armor, which activated a kinetic barrier around it. His defensive abilities increased, Danarius confidently approached the generator, behind which Garrus was covering in.

As Danarius approached him, Garrus could also hear loud clanking sounds approaching the position he was in; dozens of geth troopers had entered the room, trying to get to Garrus.

After looking around a bit, Garrus took a deep breath, not being able to come up with anything. He then suddenly activated his omni-tool, and jumped out of his cover, aiming his tool at Danarius, and disrupting his kinetic barriers. Danarius staggered back a bit, being disoriented by the sabotage. Garrus saw this as his opportunity, and charged forward, throwing the geth rifle away from his hands, and attacking Danarius in hand-to-hand combat.

Garrus grabbed Danarius' rifle, which the turian soldier used for his defense. The both then started a power struggle over it, pushing each other forward and back. Garrus managed to push Danarius against a railing, doing his best trying to push the turian over it. Danarius however proved to be more powerful than Garrus had expected.

"Come on! Fucking kill me, if you can, Garrus! You don't have the guts to do it!" Danarius mocked, while trying to push Garrus back. The turian officer clenched his teeth together, pushing Danarius further back.

"You already are dead!" Garrus shouted back, but was suddenly pushed back, as Danarius kicked him in his stomach. The turian officer staggered down on the walkway, coughing as the air had suddenly left his lungs. Danarius grunted a bit, breathing fast and heavy, trying to get his bearings again from the exhausting struggle.

"You're good, Vakarian… but it'll all be in vain…" Danarius said quietly, taking a deep breath. Garrus in the meanwhile looked at the generator behind Danarius, using his holographic visor to translate the Khelish words written on it, which said "Kinetic Barriers".

Even though the geth used their own electronic language to talk to each other, they still wrote in Khelish, the language of the quarians. Because of this, many quarians and other races assumed that the geth hadn't lost their ability to speak Khelish, even though they had their own spoken language now.

As Danarius now aimed his Phaeston assault rifle at Garrus again, the turian officer suddenly got up, and charged at Danarius, shoving the rifle out of his hands, and pushing him back on the railing, quickly throwing a couple punches in his face. Danarius grunted, as he reached out on Garrus' face and throat, trying to strangle him. Garrus reached down on Danarius' body, looking for something for a couple of seconds, until finding it. The turian C-Sec officer then suddenly pulled Danarius' pistol from his hip, and opened fire, piercing the turian traitor's stomach four times.

Danarius gasped, as Garrus shot him, looking straight into the officer's eyes, blue blood pouring out of his mouth. Garrus leaned a bit forward, whispering to the turian traitor's ear.

"I told you; you're already dead…" Garrus said coldly, reaching on Danarius' armor again, and activating a grenade, that was hanging onto it. After that, the turian officer strongly shoved Danarius over the railing, making him fall down to his impending death.

Immediately after that, Garrus started running towards the exit, grabbing the Phaeston rifle from the ground, as he passed it. A couple geth troopers arrived to the overlooking walkway, and opened fire on Garrus, but were unable to hit him. A few seconds later, the grenade on Danarius' body exploded, starting a destructive chain reaction in the reactor room.

The explosions caught up to all of the several generators and reactors in the room, destroying them one by one. The massive destruction trembled the ship again, making Garrus lose his balance. The turian however got up quickly, and continued to run away from the dozens of explosions, that now filled the whole room, as well as many parts of the ship.

**...**

The whole geth dreadnaught was shaking, constantly exploding in some parts of the ship. Inside the rear-end hangar bay, many of the docked fighters and corvettes fell from their cradles, smashing themselves on the ground.

Near the hangar's exist way to space, a Kodiak shuttle was sitting calmly on the floor, inactive. Tali immediately made her way into the shuttle, and sat down in the cockpit, activating the ship's engines. Liara entered the shuttle's passenger area, finding several weapons. As John was looking around the hangar, trying to keep his balance as explosions surrounded the entire place, he could see dozens of geth troopers approaching.

"Commander!" Liara yelled at John from the shuttle, throwing him an M-55 Argus assault rifle, when he turned around. John caught the rifle from mid-air, and immediately aimed it at the approaching geth, opening fire on them. Liara picked up a M-9 Tempest from the shuttle, and made her way out of the ship, also opening fire on the incoming geth, who returned fire at her and John.

After a few moments, Tali was able to get control over the ship, increasing the power to the engines. The shuttle slowly began to ascend, floating a meter or so from the floor. Liara noticed that, and so did John. The commander quickly looked around, but couldn't see Garrus. After a moment, he decided signal Liara to enter the shuttle with him.

As the geth troopers approached them, firing their pulse rifles, John and Liara hopped on the Kodiak shuttle. Several explosions disoriented the attacking geth, some fighters even crushing them under their hulls, as they fell from their docking cradles.

After a few moments of floating in place, Tali was getting enough of the wait.

"Where's Garrus? We need to leave." The quarian engineer said impatiently, keeping the shuttle stabilized. John was starting to wonder also, if Garrus had indeed met his fate already.

A few seconds later, the turian police officer miraculously appeared, running into the hangar area from the hallway. John's eyes widened, a smile appeared on his face, as he saw the turian running at the shuttle, gunning down the geth in front of him.

"Take us lower, Tali! He's there!" John ordered, pointing at Garrus with a smile. Tali brought the shuttle down on the floor again, and as John and Liara provided cover fire, Garrus made his way in to the ship.

"Let's get out of here…" Garrus said, panting like he had just run a marathon. Tali nodded, and closed the shuttle's door, steering the ship out of the hangar, and flying away from it.

In the next few moments, the Kodiak shuttle flew away from the dying geth dreadnaught, John sitting beside Tali, and helping her to dodge all the wreckage, and fighters that got in their way.

…**..**

The massive Alliance fleet had no surrounded the dreadnaught, destroying the last of the geth fleet's cruisers and frigates. The Normandy flew under the dreadnaught, its sensors reading the ship's diagnostics. After doing the readings, Joker noticed the ship's shields had been disabled.

"All Alliance ships, this is SSV Normandy; the geth dreadnaught's shields are gone. I repeat; the shields are down!" Joker said to the intercom, that transmitted throughout the fleet. A few moments later, Admiral Hackett's voice answered.

"Copy that, Normandy. All Alliance ships, hold fast, open fire on the dreadnaught… let's finish this battle." The admirals said inspirationally.

In the next moments, the Alliance fifth fleet took positions around the ship, and opened fire on it. All the ships' cannons fired upon the dreadnaught, piercing its hull with every shot. The Kodiak shuttle where John and his team were in was noticed by the Normandy, who contacted them.

"Unknown shuttle, this is SSV Normandy, identify yourself…" Joker's voice was heard through the intercom. John chuckled a bit, and activated the microphone.

"This is your boss, Joker." He said jokingly, to which Joker gasped a bit.

"Holy shit! It is you, Commander!" Joker exclaimed cheerfully, which made Tali giggle a bit too. The shuttle then made its way into SSV Endeavor's shuttle hangar, landing inside it.

The Alliance fleet in the meanwhile continued to fire on the disabled dreadnaught, causing massive explosion throughout the ship. A few moments later, the ship finally exploded in a huge bright flash, which tore the dreadnaught apart completely. The shockwave shook many Alliance ships around it, and also pushed geth and Alliance ships' wreckages around.

The Battle of Therum, was over.

**Two hours later…**

The entire bridge of the Endeavor rose up to applaud, as John walked up to Admiral Hackett with his team following him. The smiling admiral pleasantly shook hands with the young commander, also patting John's shoulder.

"Good to have you back, Commander." Hackett said, to which John smiled widely.

"Thank you, sir." He answered with a wide smile. After that, John turned around to his team again, seeing how most of the Normandy's crew now arrived to the Alliance dreadnaught's bridge, all of them cheering for their commander.

John laughed a bit, as he saw Wrex walking with the rest of the crew, which made the crew of the Endeavor go silent. Kaidan and Ashley, accompanied with Joker, walked up to him, shaking his hands, Kaidan also hugging his long time friend. When Wrex came up to John, the Commander took a couple of steps back, as the krogan was about to hug him.

"Heheh, I knew you'd do that." Wrex said, laughing a bit.

John was relieved and happy the ordeal was now over, and he felt luckier than most people, to have such a loyal crew. He felt like he was in debt to them all for coming to his rescue. He could've spent the rest of his life thanking all of the people who were part of this, but he decided to simply smile at them all, and show his gratitude that way.

**...**

The icy peaks of Noveria's mountains occasionally erupted in avalanches, which brought massive amounts of snow down to the roots of the mountain.

In the mountain ridge of Hal Shiral, near the rich colony of Port Hanshan, laid a large research facility called Peak 15. Inside the facility's numerous laboratories and testing areas, laid a dark secret.

In one of the central labs, a group of asari commandos patrolled around, a few geth troopers walking about as well. Asari matriarch Benezia was standing in front of a holographic stand, which transmitted Saren through it.

"I've arrived on Virmire… Sovereign is here, as well as the asari scientist you gave me. I hope they are good…" The turian spectre said. Benezia stood straight, having her hands behind her back.

"They are, I promise you." Benezia answered, swallowing a bit. Saren crossed his arms over his chest then.

"How's your research going?" He asked his most powerful ally. Benezia glanced behind her quickly, before turning back to Saren.

"Difficult, to say the least… the Rachni are more complex that I… or perhaps everyone thought…" The asari matriarch explained. Saren sighed a bit, looking at Benezia straight in her eyes.

"Get it done, Benezia… I need the rachni…." The turian said, being a bit impatient. Even though she couldn't promise it, Benezia tried her best.

"I will continue trying." She answered plainly, to which Saren nodded.

"Good… I'll wait for results…" The turian spectre said, ending the transmission.

After that, Benezia made her way to a large testing chamber, inside where a huge rachni queen was residing, against its will. The asari matriarch leaned herself on the chamber's glass wall, staring at the queen.

"I will get the information out of you… just wait and see…" She promised herself quietly, sighing deeply, and making her way to a desk, sitting down in front of it, and starting to work on more intel about the rachni, browsing through files and other research.

Benezia would discover the secrets of the rachni, even if it'd kill her.

****Okay, so here's the tenth chapter finally.**

**There are a lot of reasons, why it took this long. I've been very busy this past month, spending over two weeks with my girlfriend, as well as running around different hospitals and doctors, in order to find out if there's something wrong with my heart. **

**But anyway, enjoy this chapter, I really hope you like it. Let me know in the reviews, and I promise you, that the next chapter will come sooner than this did.**

**Cheers****


	12. Chapter 11: The Secret of Noveria

**Chapter 11: The Secret of Noveria**

The quiet emptiness of space was interrupted by a slow moving starship, calmly floating through the vast valleys of vacuum, using its engines on low power. The SSV Normandy had been in a battle not too long ago, and the ship deserved some rest, before the next conflict it would inevitably enter.

Inside the advanced Alliance frigate, Commander John Shepard stood at the end of the circular conference room, stroking his short stubble. Around him, all of his six squadmates sat on the seats placed in the circle, patiently waiting for John to speak. After a few moments, John sighed a bit, and straightened his back.

"The Battle of Therum a few days ago was bloody, and the Alliance lost many brave men and women. I propose that we try to honor those who died, by doubling our efforts in catching Saren…" The commander said, looking at his squad, who most nodded in agreement. Wrex cracked his knuckles.

"I can't wait to crush that turian's skull and severe his spine…" The krogan warlord said quietly.

The Alliance indeed had lost many servicemen during the battle. Around 14 frigates and 8 cruisers were lost in the battle, totaling in over 2750 human casualties. Over 140 fighters had been lost as well, increasing the casualty number to over 2900 humans. Even though the Alliance had more ships and firepower, the advanced geth vessels had proved to be extremely powerful. But in the end, the Alliance fifth fleet proved to be stronger, destroying the entire geth fleet of 36 ships, plus fighters. The geth had effectively lost all of their personnel at Therum, resulting in over 24 000 geth casualties.

Ashley then crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, what's our next move, Skipper?" She asked John, who now sat down on his seat, which was between her and Kaidan.

"Now we try to figure out where Saren would've gone to…" The commander said plainly, leaning back on his seat, blowing out air through his nose. Liara then seemed to come up with something, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Commander, I think I know how we can find Saren." She declared, to which John crossed his arms.

"Let's hear it, Dr. T'Soni." He said, waiting for Liara to tell the team her thoughts. The asari scientist looked around the room for a second, seeing that everyone looked at her.

"Well, there is one person who knows Saren's exact whereabouts… my mother, Matriarch Benezia…" She explained. Ashley chuckled a bit, looking at Liara with slight frustration.

"Oh yeah… forgot that you're the asari traitor's daughter. Why do we trust her again?" The young sergeant asked, turning to look at John, who lifted his hand up.

"Enough, Ash… okay, Liara… do you know where your mother is located?" John asked, turning to look at Liara again. The asari nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yes, she's on Noveria by the orders of Saren. I don't know what she's doing there, but it must be important." Liara explained. Ashley didn't seem to like that.

"Why should we take your word on it? For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap!" The sergeant accused, after which Kaidan quickly touched her shoulder, showing her to keep quiet for now. John sighed a bit, stroking his forehead.

"Alright… since we also need to detain Benezia, we go to Noveria. I expect you to be right on this, Liara… we cannot afford misses in a situation like this." The commander said, to which Liara nodded silently. After that, John got up from his chair, looking at his team.

"Okay, we'll set course to Noveria. I will call upon you all, when we arrive on the planet, but until then, dismissed." He said, standing at the middle of the circle again, as his squad got up from their seats, and walked out of the conference room.

After the squad had left, John's attention was caught by Joker, who spoke through the intercom.

"Commander, the Council is asking for an audience with you." The pilot declared. John raised his eyebrows a bit, he had no idea that the council would want to contact him directly. Accepting it, John positioned himself in front of the large monitor, from which also FTL connected holograms could be transmitted through.

"Put them through, Joker." John said, placing his hands behind his back, waiting for the council to appear. After a few seconds, the holograms of the three councilors appeared in front of him, Councilor Tevos speaking up first.

"Commander, we hear that your escape from Saren's hands was successful." The asari councilor said with a smile. Councilor Valern nodded, stroking his chin a bit with his thin fingers.

"Yes, I hear that the Alliance fleet wiped out the geth fleet from that sector. Commendable action, though reckless." The salarian said. Councilor Sparatus crossed his arms over his chest, looking quite distasted.

"Yes, an Alliance fleet engages in a battle with the geth within Terminus Systems. You have any idea what could have happened, Shepard?" The turian asked with frustration in his voice. John calmly held his hands behind his back, though clenching his teeth a bit inside his mouth.

"Yes, Councilor… a war with the Terminus System's could have happened… but fortunately, that hasn't happened yet." The commander said. Councilor Tevos agreed, nodding her head.

"He's right; the Alliance did a commendable job keeping the operation a secret from the military governments of the Terminus." The asari councilor said. Sparatus was still his grumpy self.

"It was a foolish risk, nonetheless… we are already at war with the geth, and we don't need another one." The turian explained. John smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Don't worry, Councilor, I'll try not to star another war." The human Spectre assured. The three councilors nodded, Valern speaking up.

"Good luck in your mission, Commander. We'll be contacting you again in short time." The salarian said, deactivating the hologram call afterwards, making the Council disappear in front of John, who sighed deeply in slight relief.

The commander then made his way out of the conference room, looking up to one of the intercom speakers, as he was walking towards the door.

"Joker, take us to Noveria, and inform both the Alliance and the Council about it." John ordered, walking through the conference room door.

"Right away, Commander." The pilot's voice said, cutting the intercom off afterwards.

…**..**

A few minutes later, John walked into the Normandy's medical room, having heard that Liara had accommodated herself in the small living quarters beyond the medical bay. Usually the room would have been used by the ship's medical officer, but Dr. Chakwas felt that she was more close to her fellow crewmembers, when she slept in the same living quarters as most of the Normandy's crew.

As he entered the small room, John could see Liara working on a computer, apparently browsing through pictures and excavation samples, probably from one of her prothean digsites. As the door closed, Liara turned her head around and quickly got up from her seat, as she saw John standing at the doorway.

"Oh, Commander, it's nice to see you again." The asari scientist said with a smile, now standing in front of John, who smiled slightly as well.

"Likewise, Liara. I just came by to see how you're doing, as well as ask you some questions." John explained. Liara raised her drawn in eyebrows a bit, but nodded.

"Oh, right… as you wish, Commander." She answered, smiling a bit again. John then crossed his arms.

"What do you know about prothean beacons?" He asked the asari scientist, to which Liara's eyes widened.

"Yes! I heard that you were directly touched by one! That's amazingly fascinating, Commander, you have no idea!" She said excitedly, making John raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"I had no idea you were so into this prothean stuff, even if you have spent most of your life studying them." The human commander said. Liara bit her lip and blushed a bit, being embarrassed.

"I'm sorry… protheans are just a fascinating subject to me. I… uh… what did you want to know about the beacons?" She asked, still biting her lip.

"Well… what were they used for?" John asked her, to which Liara quickly answered.

"Oh, well… they were used as interstellar communication relays. I'm not sure how they work exactly, but I presume that they used advanced telepathic technology, which means that the protheans were able to send messages to each other without any physical communication." She explained. John leaned back a bit, having his arms crossed on his chest.

"So the vision I saw on Eden Prime, was a message?" John asked, being interested. Liara smiled, and nodded.

"Precisely, Commander! I can't even imagine what they had stored in the beacon… the message could be about their vast empire, maybe about star chart data, or.. or.." The asari scientist guessed. John ended her guessing by answering what the message was really about.

"I think the message is about the prothean extinction… it was all very confusing, but I'm more than certain that I saw death, suffering and agony…" The commander explained quietly, to which Liara's smile faded.

"Oh… I see. Well, it will most certainly give valuable insight to the Prothean Empire's downfall… if only we could find a way to decrypt it, to make it have more sense." Liara said, stroking her chin while thinking deeply on the matter. After a few moments, Liara physically jumped a bit, as she seemed to figure something out.

"I've got it! I think I know how we can decrypt the message within your vision, Commander." She said excitedly. John raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" He asked the asari, who smiled widely.

"We asari are able to meld our minds together with another asari. I believe the technique can also be used with other races, such as humans. This so called 'cipher' could be our way of making sense of your vision, Commander. I've never done it before, but I'd certainly be willing to try." Liara explained, and looked at John hopefully. After a few moments of thinking, John sighed silently, and nodded.

"Alright, if you think it'll help us." He said, to which Liara nodded happily.

"I'm quite sure." She said, and took a couple steps closer to John. Liara took a grip on John's hands, and took a deep breath. John raised his eyebrows a bit, not sure on what he was supposed to do.

"Close your eyes, Shepard." Liara said, after which John silently nodded, and closed his eyes. Liara closed her eyes as well, being silent for a few moments.

"Embrace eternity!" She suddenly said loudly, and opened her eyes, which had changed their pigmentation from icy blue, to complete black.

In the next moments, both John and Liara shook silently, as their minds melded together. John could see the painful vision all over again, this time being a little clearer on the fast moving pictures he could see. John could make out massive Reaper ships, which looked similar to Sovereign, destroying entire cities of high rising skyscrapers, and flattening entire colonies of millions of people, slaughtering everything in their way. He could see hundreds of prothean controlled planets engulfed in seas of fire, hundreds of thousands of Reaper machines purging every living thing in the galaxy. As the vision went on, suddenly a Reaper ship appeared right in front of John's eyes, its multiple yellow glowing eyes glaring at him. The Reaper vessel roared, and the vision came to an end, violently shaking John back to consciousness.

Liara staggered as well, as the vision ended. John quickly shook his head to get his thoughts back, after which he took a hold of his asari companion, who was nearly falling down on the floor. Liara opened her eyes again, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" John asked a bit worriedly. Liara nodded, and silently got out of John's hold, walking to the side of her bed, sitting down.

"That was… incredible… I've never even thought that melding minds with another person would be so intense, but to see thousands of years old vision within that mind… unbelievable…" She said quietly, still breathing a bit heavy. John raised his eyebrows, and leaned back a bit.

"Did it make any sense to you? All I could see was death and destruction, as well as many Reaper ships." The commander said. Liara seemed to think on it for a little while, and then answered.

"It's probably a warning message, sent across the Empire about the Reaper invasion. The images of destruction and death might have been real events witnessed by some protheans, who had the images imprinted in their minds." She explained. John nodded, agreeing that it made sense.

"I wonder if those Reaper ships are sentient… the one at the end of the vision… the one with yellow eyes, seemed very much intelligent…" John wondered quietly. Liara stroke her chin, thinking.

"Hmm… it could be possible. We didn't see any Reapers outside of their ships, did we? Maybe their machine-like ships are intelligent as well… we don't know." She said a bit quieter. After a moment, John sighed a bit, and headed towards the door.

"I need to get back to work. But this was very insightful, Liara, thank you." John said, smiling a bit, and looking at Liara, who got up from her bed, walking back to the computer, and starting to browse through more files.

"I'll look up some of the prothean archaeological finds around the galaxy; some of the planets we saw in the vision might be in the list… it could help us in finding the Conduit, before Saren." She said, looking at the computer screen. John, smiled, and opened the door.

"Sounds good, see you later." He said, and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

**Several hours later…**

In the Normandy's cargo hold, Tali was walking around quietly. It was late in the evening, and most Alliance crew members had left the area for either their evening doings, or other duties. The young quarian girl came across the weapon lockers, seeing several emptied weapons lying in a large pile, inside a box placed on the floor. Tali noticed an M-23 Katana shotgun at the top of the pile, and carefully picked it up with her both hands.

She curiously examined the weapon, being surprised how light it was. Suddenly, she heard stomping noises behind her, and quickly turned around, the shotgun still in her hands, she could see Wrex approaching her.

"I was wondering when you'd get interested in them... need help?" The aging krogan warlord asked. Tali raised her eyebrows a bit behind her helmet.

"Uh… I... don't know… I wasn't doing anything…" She stuttered quietly, trying to place the shotgun back in the box. Wrex stopped her, by placing his hand on the shotgun, grabbing it, and lifting it up from Tali's hands. The krogan then walked next to Tali, and placed the shotgun in her hands, helping her in assuming the correct positions with her hands, to hold the weapon.

"It's just a thing, remember that always. A weapon is simply a tool, not a feared divine punisher." Wrex said in an assuring manner. Tali nodded, raising her eyebrows a bit behind her mask.

"I know that, Wrex. It's just that… when I used a geth shotgun aboard the dreadnought, it knocked me off my feet…" She explained, holding the weapon in her hands. Wrex was quiet for a moment, and then spoke up again.

"Well, I'm sure geth weapons are not made for organics anyway. Now, just take a strong supporting stance with your legs, and you're good to go." The krogan answered, gently moving Tali's legs into the position he said. After that, Wrex took a hold of the shotgun, and suddenly jerked his hand, which lifted the gun up, as if Tali had just shot with it. Tali's hands strongly held on the gun, and she didn't flinch. Wrex smiled and patted Tali's back a bit.

"There you go, that was good. Just keep on with these smaller shotguns, and you won't have any problems." He said, smiling a bit, after which he turned around, and started to leave. Tali looked after the krogan, getting his attention again.

"Wait! Wrex… why are you this nice to me?" She asked the old warlord. Wrex looked at her for a moment, and then quietly sighed.

"I'd like to think my daughter would have been like you." He said quietly, to which Tali's eyes widened.

"Oh… oh my… you have a daughter?" She asked curiously, after which Wrex's face immediately turned sour. The krogan looked down on the floor, clearly being distraught by the subject.

"The Genophage killed her… like it has killed millions…" Wrex answered quietly, turning around, and quietly stomping away. Tali silently stood in the cargo bay for the next moments, having had no idea about Wrex's surprising past. She wondered if losing his daughter was the reason for Wrex's anger, and why he's an aimless mercenary.

She then put the shotgun back in the box, heading towards the elevator, feeling it was time for her to get some sleep, before arriving to Noveria the next day.

…**..**

The next day, the Alliance stealth frigate Normandy approached the frozen planet Noveria's atmosphere. As the ship entered its atmospheric approach, the Normandy turned slightly upwards, using its body as a break. The heat from the approach formed a fiery shield around the ship, making it look like the Normandy had caught on fire from its belly.

On the bridge, John stood behind Joker's chair, holding on to it, as the landing tended to be quite rocky sometimes. Joker calmly operated the ship, as he brought it down towards the planet's surface.

"The Alliance has sent in an expeditionary force, which has taken control of Port Hanshan, Commander. And get this; the commanding officer is Captain Rockwell." The pilot said, looking at John, who stood behind him. The commander raised his eyebrows.

"The Council approved of an occupation? That's quite unusual." He said, still taking hold on Joker's seat.

"Yeah, I guess they finally realized the danger Saren and Matriarch Benezia pose. They have given a full lockdown order on Noveria's cities, until Benezia has been found." Joker explained, now stabilizing Normandy's flight path. John hummed quietly, stroking his stubble.

"Kind of an overkill, but, since Rockwell is in charge, I'm not surprised…" He answered quietly.

Alliance Captain Marcus Rockwell was a "famous" soldier in the military. The young human had earned countless promotions during his career due to his father's position as a fleet admiral. Admiral Geoffrey Rockwell had perished during the space battle above Torfan in the Skyllian Blitz, just after his son had reached the rank of a Captain. After his father's death, Rockwell had become extremely prejudiced against non-humans, often calling out for war against the Batarian Hegemony, as well as an all human Council takeover on the Citadel. The pro-human political party Terra Firma staunchly supported the Captain for his extreme views, and had several campaigns calling for promoting Rockwell into the Alliance's leadership.

John and many of his colleagues could only shake their heads, when they heard about Rockwell's latest outcries about the "alien oppressors", who sought to "destroy humanity and enslave the survivors". Many people in the Alliance even rumored Rockwell to be a secret operative working for the pro-human paramilitary group Cerberus, though John didn't see that as possible.

"I can't wait to see what good ol' Marc has done this time…" Kaidan said sarcastically, sitting on his chair, to which John nodded in agreement.

"Let's at least hope he isn't mongering war against the aliens there…" He said quietly.

**15 minutes later…**

John walked out of the Normandy's airlock, being clad in his N7 armor. His entire team followed him, as he made his way through the docking gate, into Port Hanshan's spaceport. Immediately after they entered the large spaceport, the group could see several Alliance soldiers marching around and detaining civilians and commoners.

One Alliance soldier, an Asian female, approached John, stopping in front of him.

"Commander Shepard. Lieutenant Xianlin, at your service." The woman said, saluting John, having an M-23 Katana shotgun in her hands. John nodded, and looked at the soldier.

"At ease, Lieutenant." He said calmly, after which the woman stood calmly in front of him.

"Captain Rockwell wishes to see you, sir. He's in the administration office not too far away from here, he'll be eager to bring you up to speed." The soldier explained to John, to which he nodded, and quickly saluted her.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Dismissed." The young commander said, walking past Xianlin, his team following closely behind.

As they walked around the colony, John could see several Alliance soldiers keeping order, questioning dozens of civilians, and keeping the colony's guards at bay. Surprisingly, the private military company Elanus Risk Control's soldiers seemed to still have their weapons, which only meant that the Alliance couldn't completely take over the colony, even though the council gave the Alliance the order to occupy Port Hanshan temporarily.

"Private military companies… just professional mercenaries, not any other difference." Garrus said in slight disgust. Ashley cracked up a bit to that.

"What? Mercs aren't your favorite? I thought mercenary groups didn't bother the Citadel, only gangs." The human sergeant asked. Garrus shook his head.

"Mercenary bands aren't completely forbidden from the Citadel, but C-Sec keeps close eye on the largest ones, like the Blue Suns and the Eclipse. Blood Pack has never been spotted on the Citadel, since the krogan and vorcha aren't really allowed to enter." The turian explained. Wrex mused a bit to that.

"Heh, well, I was able to even enter the Presidium, guess those uptight assholes there didn't expect to see a big scary krogan looking at the krogan memorial statue there." He said, laughing a bit.

A few minutes later, the team entered the administration offices. As they entered, John could see a lot more Elanus Risk Control soldiers guarding the perimeter, than there were Alliance personnel. John walked at the tip off the team, entering the office, where he could see Captain Rockwell, wearing lightly armored Alliance officer's uniform, being backed by a couple Alliance soldiers. The human captain was in the middle of a debate, with the salarian administrator in charge of Port Hanshan.

"Mr. Anoleis, I understand your distaste with this… rather militaristic occupation, but… the Council's orders a clear, you wouldn't want Noveria get in trouble with Council Space, now would you?" Rockwell asked a slight mockery in his voice. Administrator Anoleis sighed in frustration, sitting in his chair.

"I do understand the reasons behind this, but Noveria's colonies are all owned by private corporations, the Council has no power here." The salarian said. Rockwell smirked a bit after that.

"Well, unless you want war with the Council races, I'd suggest you and your little PMC men to back off, and let us do our jobs in order to restore peace in the galaxy." The uptight human captain answered. Anoleis frowned and growled quietly.

John walked next to the captain, the other Alliance soldiers saluting him.

"Nice of you to join us, Shepard… we have the situation under control, just need you to go find that crazy asari lady…" Rockwell said, crossing his arms on his chest. John placed his hands behind his back, standing straight.

"So she is here then?" He asked Rockwell. Administrator Anoleis answered however.

"Lady Benezia arrived here a couple days ago, with her personal guard. They traveled to the nearby Peak 15 research facility, and have not returned. I have cooperated with the Alliance, and allowed a team already to follow them, as well as send a team of Eclipse mercenaries to locate Lady Benezia for you." The salarian explained, clearly showing his distaste of the Alliance in his voice.

"Yes, which the Alliance is thankful of. However, since Commander Shepard has arrived, it's the will of the Council to let him join up with our N7 team, and apprehend Matriarch Benezia." Rockwell said, looking at the salarian administrator, who looked dumbfounded.

"What? I've already committed resources to transporting your N7 team, as well as paying the Eclipse mercenaries, and now I should provide the Commander with transportation also!?" Anoleis asked in a small outrage. Rockwell smirked a bit, and nodded.

"That's right, administrator. In case you didn't know, the Commander here is a Council Spectre… that means he has the rights to do whatever he damn pleases." The human captain said, clearly enjoying his annoying of the salarian administrator. John lifted his hand in small protest.

"I can speak for myself, Captain. But you're right; I need transportation to the Peak 15 facility." John explained, looking at Anoleis now, who sighed in frustration.

"Fine… I'll arrange a Badger to transport you to the facility." Anoleis said quietly, pressing a few buttons on his desk's holographic interface. After that, John plainly nodded, and started to head out of the office, when Rockwell grabbed his arm.

"Keep me posted on the comms, Shepard… I don't want anything to go wrong, especially to lose our first human Spectre. I'll be staying here, and keeping the situation under control." The Captain said in a quiet voice. John nodded and broke his arm of Rockwell's grip.

"Sure, Captain… see you later." He said plainly, and after that, left the office room, his team walking behind him. Rockwell shook his head a bit, and crossed his arms over his chest again, continuing to talk with Anoleis.

**10 minutes later…**

The frozen wastes of Noveria made travelling difficult. The M38 Badger was a relatively new addition to the Alliance military, having had replaced the M21 Roosevelt APC. The vehicle was available to other corporations as well, like the Noveria Development Corporation, which had acquired the Badger John was now sitting in, having Kaidan pilot the APC towards the Peak 15 research facility, where Matriarch Benezia was hiding at.

The APC jumped a bit, as Kaidan piloted the vehicle over several snowy hills and slopes, making its wheels show just how strong they could be. Inside the passenger compartment, John sat next to his teammates, Wrex taking as much room as three humans. Tali sat right next to him, occasionally bumping into him a bit, as the vehicle jumped around a little. One bump on the ground made the APC jump a little higher, making Tali lose her seating, and land on John's lap quickly. She immediately returned to her seat next to John, blushing heavily behind her mask.

"Let's hope Benezia is at this facility." Ashley finally broke off the silence in the passenger compartment. Garrus' voice from the cockpit echoed back.

"I second that, I hate cold planets… turians are not adapted to cold." The turian officer said from the co-pilot's seat. Wrex laughed a bit then.

"Hah, I knew you were a little coward at heart, Garrus! I survived seven weeks in the radioactive wastes of Tuchanka when I earned these scars. I bet you couldn't survive for three hours there." The krogan warlord said, pointing at the large scars on his face. Garrus was silent for a moment.

"Uh... yeah… sure, Wrex." The turian then answered, clearly wanting to end the conversation. John laughed silently at the two's banter.

Suddenly, John could feel something on his right hand. As he looked down, he could see Tali's left hand, gently touching his right hand's fingers. John's heart started to pound faster, and he switched to look at the young quarian, who also looked at him. Their eyes met, John's chest feeling extremely warm, as he looked into Tali's silver shining eyes. The two's romantic moment was cut short by Kaidan, who got John's attention from the cockpit.

"Hey, John. The commanding officer of the N7 insertion team, Lieutenant Sears just contacted me. His squad, as well as the Eclipse mercenaries, are waiting us at the facility's main garage. John sighed a bit, and moved his hand from Tali's touch, and answered to his second in command.

"Roger, Kaidan. How long until we reach the facility?" The young commander asked.

"About five minutes, sir." The lieutenant answered, switching gear on the APC. John nodded, and returned to sit on his seat, glancing at Tali quickly, who was now looking around herself. John smiled a bit, and thought of nice things of the quarian girl he was blatantly infatuated with.

**Several moments later…**

The Peak 15 research facility's garage's door closed, as the M38 Badger had entered it a moment earlier. John walked around the vehicle, his squadmates unloading from the APC, and following in his wake. The young commander approached a squad of other N7 soldiers, who were standing and waiting for his arrival. A soldier in a large recently developed T5-V battlesuit approached him, and shook hands with him.

"Good to meet you, Commander Shepard. Lieutenant Bryan Sears, at your service. My squad of badasses is ready for action." The gruff sounding soldier said, shaking John's hand. One N7 soldier walked next to the lieutenant, being clad in a T3-S combat suit, used by the elite soldiers of the N7 Paladin program.

"What's up, Shepard? Jake Cullen, if you remember." The soldier said, offering his hand for shaking. John's eyes widened, as he in fact did recognize the soldier, whose face was covered with a battle helmet. He shook Cullen's hand with a wide smile.

"Good to see you again, Cullen! I thought you were still in training." John said, smiling at the fellow N7 soldier.

Jake Cullen had been in the same N7 graduate batch as John and Kaidan; they had trained together over many months. After graduating as N7, Cullen was chosen to train further in the N7 Paladin program, in Rio de Janeiro. The Paladins were further trained in advanced urban warfare, utilizing ballistic shields, as well as "crowd control" fighting techniques. John had heard some rumors about the Paladin program, that they were developing a new kind of ballistic shield to utilize, being made purely out of the same holographic material as the omni-tools.

"If you didn't know the Commander, I'd report you for unprofessional behavior. Now get back in line, Sergeant." Lieutenant Sears said in his gruff voice. Cullen nodded, and waved at John and Kaidan quickly.

"Nice to see you guys again." The soldier said, returning to his position. After that, Lieutenant Sears pointed John's attention at the eight Eclipse mercenaries, who were standing about nearby. The group was clearly commanded by a human merc, who walked a couple of steps towards John, clad in the Eclipse's signature black and yellow armor.

"Captain Morleau here is leading this group of Eclipse mercenaries, they'll help you locate and apprehend Matriarch Benezia, while my team scours the facility for any other hostiles." Sears explained. The bald goateed Eclipse merc cleared his throat a bit, making John to look at him.

"We'll find that asari lady, don't you worry about that, Mr. Alliance, just try to keep up with us." Morleau said, smirking a bit, and sounding awfully uptight, which made John get reminded of Rockwell; not a pleasant thought.

"Sure… whatever you say." John said, raising his eyebrow a bit. Morleau smirked, and then turned around to see his men, signaling them to follow him. John did the same to his companions, and the two groups headed towards the entrance to the facility, in order to get a lead on Benezia's current location. Lieutenant Sears ordered his men to follow him, leading them to another direction, deep inside the facility's storage compartments and laboratories, to find out what exactly they were doing there, as well as apprehend any other hostiles.

**10 minutes later…**

Back at Port Hanshan's administration office, Captain Rockwell sighed quietly, as he stroked his chin. Anoleis had proven more and more uncooperative with the Alliance, than the human captain had thought at first. Rockwell glanced at one of the Alliance soldiers next to him, a blond haired woman, Corporal Sarah Wilkinson.

"I need a painkiller after all this is done, Corporal… this damn lizard is getting on my nerves all too much…" Rockwell whispered to the woman, who smirked a bit, agreeing fully on how annoying the salarian could be. Anoleis seemed to do something on his desk's holographic interface.

"Hey, just so we're clear, Mr. Anoleis, the Alliance will leave Noveria, after we've apprehended Matriarch Benezia." The human captain made clear, looking at the salarian, who closed off the holographic interface, and glanced back at Rockwell, clearly being distasted.

In the next moments, Rockwell could feel his heart beat get faster and faster. Something wasn't right; he could feel it in his bones. The Elanus Risk Control soldiers around them looked awfully nervous, looking at each other often. Anoleis' hand was shaking, his fingers fiddling with a silver colored pen. Everything around Rockwell went quiet, only the ticking of a clock on the wall could transmit its sound into his brain.

The Captain's eyes locked on a beeping interface on Anoleis' desk, blinking a green light. Then his eyes locked with Anoleis', and the two stared at each other for a second, which felt like an hour. The salarian's eyes radiated hatred and betrayal into the human captain's eyes. Just then, Rockwell's heart stopped, and he made a startling realization. He immediately looked at his troops, standing near him, and yelled on the top of his lungs.

"Down!" The Captain yelled, waving his arms at Corporal Wilkinson, as well as the other few Alliance soldiers.

Then, out of nowhere, the Elanus Risk Control soldiers took out their weapons, and opened fire.

Volleys of weapon fire shredded Corporal Wilkinson's, and the other Alliance soldiers' bodies, shedding blood into the air, like fountains of water. Rockwell's body was hit multiple times as well in a matter of mere seconds, spewing blood out of his wounds as well, making him drop on the floor immediately. Administrator Anoleis leaned back on his chair, sighing deeply.

"Do it..." The salarian said quietly to one of the soldiers standing next to him, who in turn pressed a few buttons on his combat armor's left arm piece.

**...**

Loud gunfire could be heard coming from the administration office, which made Alliance soldiers, as well as a few PMCs, and civilians, look around themselves in confusion and slight fear.

Lieutenant Xianlin looked at a group of PMCs, who marched towards her and several Alliance soldiers. One of her subordinates, Private Yakov, walked to the PMC soldiers.

"What the hell is that?" The young private asked. The turian PMCs didn't answer, instead, one of them drew a turian combat knife on the young private, impaling his head through his chin. The other PMCs drew their weapons, and opened fire on the Alliance troops, as well as unsuspecting fellow PMCs and civilians.

"Fuck! Return fire! I said return fire!" Xianlin yelled, taking cover behind a statue, as most of her fellow soldiers were gunned down immediately. The Chinese woman cocked her shotgun, and blindly shot from behind the statue, at the attacking PMCs.

In mere moments, the entirety of Port Hanshan was in chaos. The bribed Elanus Risk Control soldiers aimlessly massacred Alliance troops, civilians, as well as their own comrades, who hadn't been bought off. In a few moments, the Alliance quickly took a hold of itself, and put up resistance, their soldiers managing to gun down many PMCs, and retreat towards the hangar bay.

Lieutenant Xianlin made her way towards the hangars as well; the Normandy would be her and any of the Alliance survivors' only chance to get away from this bloodbath.

Screaming civilians ran for their lives, only to be shot by the very guards who they thought were protecting them. Several rocket propelled grenades flew across the large central atrium of Port Hanshan, hitting office buildings and fountains alike, setting fire on many of the indoor city's areas.

Inside the administration office, Anoleis got up from his desk and snapped his fingers, signaling two turian soldiers to follow him, and act as his guard. The crooked salarian walked over the bloody human bodies, looking especially long at Rockwell's, smirking a bit. After that, Anoleis left the office, and all the other PMCs left as well, joining up with their bribed comrades to sow more chaos and death to the colony.

**...**

A metallic door slid open, as John's and Morleau's teams entered a large atrium deep inside the Peak 15 facility. The Eclipse team, consisted of humans, seemed to suspiciously keep themselves around John's squadmates, which made the young Commander uneasy. As they walked through the large room, John could hear as the light cover of snow on the floor cracked under his boots, falling through the broken window pieces of the skylight.

Suddenly, Morleau stopped, lifting his arm up, signaling everyone to halt. John raised his eyebrows to that.

"What is it?" He asked the bald merc leader. Morleau then turned around, as did all his men, surrounding all of John's squad.

"Now, we claim our prize…" The human merc Captain said, drawing his pistol, and pointing it at John, all of his men drawing their weapons at John's squad as well. Garrus growled a bit, as a human merc shoved a gun in his face.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" Garrus said in frustration. John couldn't but agree; they were betrayed yet again. Morleau smirked just a bit, holding his pistol right at John's nose.

Then out of the blue, two doors to the atrium's sides opened, revealing several asari and geth soldiers, who stormed the room, and surrounded John's group as well. The commanding asari officer walked closer to Morleau, holding a Disciple shotgun in her hands.

"Nice work, Morleau. Seems like you mercs aren't completely useless. Where's the other Alliance team?" The asari asked. Morleau lowered his pistol from John's face, knowing there were enough guns pointed at him already.

"They're down in the lower levels; I guess they won't find anything, so you can send a team in to eliminate them." The merc suggested, to which the asari commander rolled her eyes.

"We're in a bit of a hurry here, you know? Something else will kill those Alliance troops, trust me." She said, now looking at John, who did not look happy.

"Well, well… Commander Shepard. Bad time you picked to come here… we're in a middle of… house cleaning…" She said at the commander, who raised his eyebrows.

Immediately after that, a strange sound of clanking began to echo in the large room. All of the people inside it started looking around themselves. Morleau seemed especially uncomfortable with the weird sounds.

"What the hell is going on?" The human merc asked. The asari commando leader sighed quietly, and looked around herself anxiously.

"They're coming… alright everyone, get ready!" She ordered around. The geth troopers, as well as the asari commandos now started scanning the area with their weapons, looking at every direction, clearly awaiting something.

John looked back at his squad, who were all also looking around, not sure about what was going on. As he turned his head back, John made a plan to make a run for the door right in front of him, from which some of the asari and geth troopers had come.

Then, out of nowhere, a loud bang got the attention of everyone in the atrium. A panel on the right side wall of the room flew off, and a large insect like alien came through it, screeching in a high pitched scream. The insect immediately used its long tentacle like arms, and impaled an unfortunate Eclipse merc, who wasn't prepared.

After that, another wall panel flew off, revealing another alien, which attacked the geth troops in front of it. Wrex gasped loudly, as he saw the aliens.

"Rachni?!" The krogan exclaimed loudly. Suddenly, a swarm of much smaller rachni appeared from the panels, as well as other venting systems around the room, and attacked the soldiers around them.

In a few seconds, the entire atrium was in utter chaos; the asari commandos, geth troopers and the Eclipse mercs all shot randomly at their feet, and in the air, trying to hit the attacking insect rachni.

John saw his opportunity arise, and he loudly commanded his squad.

"Everyone! Follow me!" The commander ordered, and violently pushed Morleau from in front of him with a biotic push. The Eclipse leader flew against a wall, and as his broken body fell to the ground, the small rachni workers swarmed him.

John led his team towards the open door, shooting his pistol at the approaching rachni. The asari commandos tried their best to get a shot at John and his team, but the rachni swarmed them. The asari leader was quickly overrun by the large rachni, her body being torn apart.

As the team made their way to the door in the midst of the chaos, Kaidan was tripped by a rachni soldier, which threateningly made its way towards the human soldier. Wrex suddenly charged the insect, and shot it to pieces with his shotgun. Garrus then helped Kaidan up, and escorted him inside the other room. John and Ashley kept watch at the doorframe, as the rest of the team rushed inside. After Wrex went in as well, the two humans did so too. Ash then closed the door, and shot the control panel, disabling the door's controls.

As the team caught their breath, the sounds of gunfire and horror screams in the next room made them feel uneasy and uncomfortable. John kneeled down a bit, breathing heavily.

"Everyone okay?" The Commander asked, to which everyone nodded quietly. Wrex seemed extremely agitated.

"Is this some joke? How the hell are there rachni right behind this door?!" The krogan warlord asked anxiously. Garrus shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea… they're supposed to be extinct." The turian officer answered.

"Maybe they're some scientific experiment…?" Kaidan asked, panting just slightly. Liara cut in as well.

"This is a research facility; maybe the scientist somehow revived those rachni?" She suggested, to which Wrex huffed in slight anger.

"Well, if we find out the source, I will destroy it." The krogan said, making his way past John, towards the elevator in the room, which would no doubly take the team into the main labs, where Benezia would be.

John walked over to Tali, who breathed a bit heavy too. He gently placed his hand on the quarian's shoulder, smiling at her.

"You're okay?" He asked quietly, to which Tali nodded, quickly touching John's hand, which was on her shoulder.

After that, John looked around his group, and signaled them to follow him, as he made his way towards the elevator. The gunfire and fighting in the atrium faded, as the screeching sound of the rachni drowned the screaming humanoids, signaling that the ancient insect aliens had won.

**...**

In the lower levels of the facility, the N7 team led by Lieutenant Sears, scoured around an abandoned research room. They could see several dead scientists, and guards lying on the floor, some of them having been torn to shreds.

"What the hell happened here…? No geth did this…" One of the N7s, Corporal Mills asked. Sears shook his head a bit, glanced over to his T5-V battlesuit colleague, Sergeant Bosworth.

"I have no idea… but you guys keep sharp. Bosworth, be ready with your hawk missiles." The Lieutenant said. Sergeant Bosworth nodded, and activated the "mini Hawk missile launcher" system in his T5-V suit. Jake Cullen looked around, patting one of his Paladin colleague's back.

"Look alive." The Sergeant said reassuring, to which the Paladin nodded.

At that moment, the sounds of muffled gunfire and explosions caught the team's attention. Sears looked around, frowning his face behind his helmet.

"Sounds like Shepard has run into problems, so keep your eyes extra open, boys!" The gruff Lieutenant ordered.

Then suddenly, the entire room started echoing with clanking sounds, as if large spiders were walking on the walls, and inside the ventilation system. The N7 team looked around, readying their weapons.

Corporal Mills felt a strange presence next to him, and looked to his side. In the next second, the young N7 graduate's life took a horrible turn. In a bloodcurdling scream, the young Corporal was jumped by a large rachni soldier, taking him down on the ground, and impaling him with its sharp legs.

Immediately after, the N7 troops turned around, and shot the rachni soldier, taking it off the young Corporal. But right then, another rachni warrior came in from behind the other Paladin trooper, impaling him with its tentacles. Cullen spun around, and activated his wrist flamethrower, incinerating the approaching rachni.

Dozens of small rachni workers then crawled from their holes, swarming Sergeant Bosworth and Lieutenant Sears. Being distracted by the bigger rachni soldiers, shooting the miniature missiles at them, Sergeant Bosworth didn't see the approaching workers, and was thus quickly swarmed by them. Sears made his way to Cullen, pulling the young sergeant with him. The two then made a quick stand away from the dying N7 troops, firing their weapons at the attacking rachni.

"Stay with me, son! We'll fight our way out!" Sears yelled, whilst shooting his N7 Typhoon light machine gun. Cullen nodded, and continued firing his N7 Valkyrie.

"Yes sir!" He yelled, killing countless rachni workers and soldiers.

**...**

Port Hanshan was still in the middle of chaos, with countless of civilians getting gunned down in the firefights between the PMCs and the Alliance. Administrator Anoleis had left the spaceport a few minutes earlier, taking a personal shuttle out of the warzone.

In the hangar bay area, Lieutenant Xianlin kept retreating slowly, urging her fellow Alliance troops to fall back to the Normandy, which had opened its airlock for the retreating soldiers. As the Asian soldier made her way across the walkway to the Normandy's airlock, another soldier beside her was shot in the back, by the advancing PMC forces.

Navigator and XO Pressly stood next to Normandy's airlock on the catwalk, helping the Alliance troops enter the frigate. After Xianlin made her way to him, the navigator saw a couple PMC soldiers approaching, gunning down the last Alliance trooper, who tried to get to the ship. Enraged, Pressly grabbed an M8 Avenger from one of the Alliance soldiers next to him, and started firing at the PMCs, killing two of them quite quickly. Xianlin helped the older Alliance officer, dropping her shotgun and opening fire with her backup pistol. All the months serving in the Chinese Special Forces before joining the Alliance, Xianlin had never been ready for this kind of betrayal and massacre.

After that, Pressly grabbed Xianlin's hand, and pulled her with him inside the ship, which airlock closed off immediately after, shielding the soldiers inside from the PMCs fire.

As the attacking soldiers continued firing at the Normandy, Joker activated its engines, quickly warming them up for takeoff. The docking clamps detached from the frigate, as it engaged it engines in reverse, backing away from the hangar. After the Normandy was out, Joker steered it around, and pushed the engines to power, flying the Alliance ship away from Port Hanshan.

As the Normandy flew away, another Alliance ship, the heavy frigate SSV Constantinople, engaged its engines as well, having had heard of the attack. As the 240 meter long ship started turning around, wanting to get to the atmosphere quickly, a door accessing the roof of Port Hanshan opened, revealing two Elanus Risk Control PMCs, running outside with a large geth made weapon in their hands.

The two turian soldiers placed the geth weapon down, placing it to stand on its tripod legs. The other turian then took position with the weapon, aiming at the retreating heavy frigate. After the weapon had locked the ship, the turian squeezed its trigger. The geth weapon fired loudly, releasing a blue hued missile from its barrel.

The missile flew through the air at a great velocity, striking the frigate on the back of its hull, near its engines, causing a colorful, massive explosion. The Constantinople exploded into pieces, the front of the ship staying mostly intact, but falling to the ground with the back of the ship being disintegrated by the explosion. The front bit of the ship struck on the snowy ground, and was crushed by the impact.

The Normandy flew higher into the atmosphere, having witnessed the Constantinople's destruction.

**...**

Inside the administration office, the bloodied floor slowly dried, as the Alliance soldiers' bodies ran out of blood.

Suddenly Captain Rockwell opened his eyes, gasping loudly, and groaning in pain, his body aching more than it ever had before. The human captain slowly moved his body, coughing a bit, as his muscles ached. After a few moments, Rockwell was able to stand up, blood still coming out of his bullet wounds.

The captain looked around the office, seeing the soldiers around him lying dead on the floor. He could also hear gunfire somewhere around the large spaceport, making him know, that the PMCs did not only kill his guards, but also attacked the other Alliance troops.

"Fucking… lizard… fuck..." The wounded man said, coughing up blood a bit. He quickly looked around himself, not seeing any PMCs in the vicinity. After that, the captain quickly grabbed an M-3 Predator pistol from a soldier's hip, and aimed it at the large window in front of him. Rockwell shot the window, breaking the glass, and letting the snow outside fall in. Then, he quickly made his way to the window, and shoved himself out, falling a couple of meters on a snowy edge, sliding down several meters to the snowy ground, and settling down.

Wounded bad, Rockwell got up, and started to slowly walk away from Port Hanshan's premises. As he walked, holding his bullet wounds with his hand, he could see the burning wreckage of SSV Constantinople, filling up much of the horizon he could see in the snow storm.

The storm quickly filled Rockwell's body, and he started to shiver. He wouldn't' survive long outside, and the captain knew it, but he needed to get away from the chaotic colony.

**...**

The metallic door to the Peak 15 facility's only lab in use opened, allowing John and his team to enter. Immediately after, John could notice the lab's layout, seeing a large containment cell in the middle of it, which apparently held a large rachni inside it.

As they walked further in, John could notice Matriarch Benezia standing next to the cell. Two geth soldiers, as well as an asari commando, noticed the approaching group, and took positions at the edge of the overlooking catwalk, where Benezia was located. The soldiers aimed their weapons at John's group, and the commander signaled his followers to stop. Frowning deeply, John looked back and forth between the soldiers, and Benezia, who now turned to look at the visitors.

"She was supposed to breed us an army, to give us more information… clearly, it didn't work." The asari matriarch said, quickly glancing at the large rachni. Liara gasped silently, standing right next to John.

"Mother…" She said quietly. Benezia then slowly walked behind her guarding soldiers, looking at John and his team.

"Finding the rachni here was looking to be a boon for Saren's plan, but as you've seen, it backfired. You are too late anyway, Commander… Saren already got enough information out of the queen." The Matriarch said. John raised his eyebrows.

"So you tried to breed a rachni army with the queen, but how does her information help out Saren? The rachni appeared thousands of years after the Reapers wiped out the protheans, how could the queen know about them?" The human commander asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Benezia laughed a bit, looking at the rachni queen again.

"She and all rachni know much more than you'd possibly think, Commander… you'd be surprised on how many secrets they hold." She said, smirking a bit at John, who frowned a bit.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you enlighten me then?" The human commander asked, to which Benezia laughed again, and shook her head.

"You overestimate your power, Shepard… you'll get nothing out of me." The matriarch said, after which she looked at Liara, who stood beside John.

"I see you joined the Commander's small group of hooligans, Liara. I expected much more from you…" Benezia said in a cold voice. Liara's eyes started to tear up slightly.

"What else did you expect, mother? That I'd join you and Saren?! Never!" She said loudly, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Benezia rolled her eyes, slowly walking back and forth now.

"You could have had power beyond your wildest imaginations, Liara… I definitely expected more from my own daughter. Just teaches me to throw away thoughts like that…" Benezia said in a cold voice. John raised his eyebrow a bit.

"Liara is your daughter regardless; you wouldn't kill her, would you?" The human commander asked, not believing Benezia would be so cold hearted. The asari matriarch laughed quietly again.

"What has Liara told you about me? That I'm a coldblooded killer?" She asked, looking at the group again. Liara's eyes teared up more now.

"What could I possibly say, mother? That you're crazy!?" The young asari asked in a demanding voice. Benezia frowned a bit, and looked at her and John coldly.

"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have, Commander." She asked, to which John smirked just a bit.

"Well, the team you sent after me earlier was eaten by the rachni…" He said, holding his arms in a cross over his chest still.

After that, on the team's right side, three asari and geth troopers appeared out of thin air, having used cloaking systems to hide before. The same happened with their left side, which made John's group be surrounded. Benezia looked at them with a slight smile.

"Well, now you'll find out just how effective they can be, Commander. Enjoy your death…" She said coldly, and immediately after that, surrounded her body with blue biotic energy, shooting it at the ceiling above John's group, bringing ventilation units and other metallic pieces down towards them. Liara immediately used her biotics, holding the wreck above the group, protecting them.

"Ash! Kaidan!" John yelled, using his own biotics to form a shield in front of the group, as the soldiers in front of them opened fire. Kaidan and Ashley quickly turned to their right then, opening fire on the asari and geth troops to the group's right, killing them quickly. Garrus and Wrex did the same, turning to their left, and shooting the soldiers on the left side.

After that, John and Liara joined their biotic power, and powerfully threw the floating wrecks at the soldiers in front, crushing them, and effectively killing them.

Benezia frowned her eyes, as John then signaled his group to advance up to the catwalk, where the matriarch was waiting. After the group arrived and held their weapons at the asari, Benezia smirked slightly.

"Impressive… now… let's end this." She said quietly, and surrounded her body with biotic energy again, shooting it at the group.

**...**

The Normandy flew in the planet's stormy atmosphere, rocking violently in the strong winds, which threw snow all around.

Inside the cockpit, Joker frantically surfed through different transmission frequencies, trying to get a hold of John, or anyone still alive in the Alliance. Suddenly, a transmission came through to him.

"This is Lieutenant Sears, SSV Normandy, do you copy?" The voice said. Joker immediately activated that call.

"This is the Normandy, Flight Lieutenant Moreau speaking. Man it's good to hear someone's alive, what's your situation, Lieutenant?" Joker asked, talking to the microphone.

"I and Sergeant Cullen are fighting our way through countless of rachni and husks inside Peak 15 research facility. Commander Shepard is somewhere here as well. We need evac." The Lieutenant explained, the sounds of gunfire clearly been heard in the background. Joker nodded.

"Roger that, Lieutenant! We're on our way!" The pilot assured, closing off the transmission, and immediately steering the Normandy towards the facility's coordinates. Joker would not let the ship's commanding officer die, no way.

**...**

A powerful biotic push thrown at Garrus shoved the turian off his feet, and down the stairs leading to the catwalk. Benezia launched another at Tali, who tried to shoot at her with her pistol. As the charge was about to hit her, Wrex came in front of it, taking the hit for Tali, staggering back.

John sprung around Wrex, and shot his pistol at Benezia, who blocked the bullets, and pulled the weapon out of the human's hands. Unarmed, John quickly charged his biotics, and attacked the asari matriarch, who did the same. The result was a large biotic beam between the two attackers, causing nearby wreckage to start floating.

As the two were occupied, Kaidan and Ash took positions just behind John, aiming their weapons at Benezia. Liara saw that, and rushed to them.

"No!" She exclaimed which caused Kaidan to draw his rifle off Benezia, as he looked at the young asari. Ash on the other hand, did not do so, and instead, opened fire. The Sergeant fired three rounds on the asari matriarch, all of them hitting her along her chest and stomach. That caused Benezia to lose focus, and the biotic energy beam struck her, throwing her against the holding cell's glass wall.

After a moment, John took a deep breath, and grabbed his pistol from the floor. Ashley approached Benezia, her rifle still aimed at her.

"That's enough, Ash." John said, ordering the human sergeant to back down, as he saw how distraught Liara was.

The young asari approached her wounded mother, who slowly got herself up again. Liara draw her pistol at Benezia, aiming at her, while tears ran down her cheeks. Benezia coughed up blood from her mouth, looking at her daughter with disappointment.

"Look at you, Liara… you could have been so much better…" She said quietly, blue hued blood coming out of her nose now too. Liara shook her head, her shaking fingers getting on the pistol's trigger.

"No… it's you who could have been better, mother… you wasted your whole life for this… this… lunacy." The asari scientist said, her voice shaking. Benezia laughed a bit, and shook her head.

"You know nothing, Liara… you waste your own life digging up dusty bones and worthless artifacts… what life is that? I'll die having fought to keep my people… my race alive… and you and your pet Commander will just die in vain..." She said quietly, her face beaming hatred towards Liara, and John, who now stood beside the young asari. John frowned a bit, and crossed his arms.

"You honestly think the Reapers will spare you and Saren, if you pledge allegiance to them? I can safely assume that some protheans did so too and look what happened… they all died." John said, his face locked in a small frown. Benezia smirked a bit, blood still coming out of her, making her face turn paler every second.

"Such ignorance… I expected more, Commander. The rachni gave us… gave Saren, the final clue, in order to find the Conduit... the Mu Relay… the key to finding it. But you'll never find it, only the rachni queen knows it…" The asari matriarch said, clearly having been assured of her view. Liara still held her pistol at her mother's head.

"Don't worry, mother… we will find out… and then, we'll stop Saren." She assured, her voice still shaking a bit. Benezia smirked at her, and squeezed her left hand wrist.

"You'll see, Liara… you'll see. Goodbye… my daughter…" She said quietly, and suddenly charged biotic energy in her hand, trying to attack Liara and John again. Liara closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger on the pistol, shooting two rounds at Benezia, one hitting her in the neck.

Blood sprayed out of Benezia's throat, and she fell on her knees, choking in her own blood. The matriarch then closed her eyes, and fell on the floor, blood forming a pool under her.

Liara then broke down crying, dropping the pistol from her hand, and falling on her knees. John felt bad for his companion; he couldn't imagine how hard it'd be to kill his own parent, let alone a friend.

As Liara sobbed next to Benezia's body, Kaidan and Garrus walked to her, gently getting her up, and escorting her away for little.

"Come one, you don't need to see this." Kaidan said gently, holding on to the sobbing asari.

After that, John turned to look at the rachni queen, who still was trapped inside the holding cell. Ash and Wrex walked next to him, the krogan warlord frowned deeply.

"Disgusting monster… I thought for sure we wiped them out." Wrex said, looking at the queen with anger. John bit his lip a bit.

"I wonder how Saren got any information out of it… it doesn't look too sentient." The commander said, looking at the creature.

Then suddenly, Tali screamed, which made John and the whole group turn around, and see what was going on. A dead asari commando's body had risen up, and slowly walked towards John, before stopping. Her eyes looked dead, staring at nothing. Then, the body opened its mouth.

"Silence…" The body said, the voice echoing in the room. John raised his eyebrows.

"What the…" Kaidan asked, looking at the reanimated body, which John approached a bit now.

"Our captors have all silenced… my children were so scared… we do not want violence…" The voice said. John now figured out it was in fact the rachni queen, who talked through the dead asari commando. How she was able to do that, he didn't know.

"How are you even alive? I thought the rachni were extinct." John asked, looking back and forth between the body and the queen.

"Months ago… we were only an egg… surviving… frozen. The scientists… found us… woke us up… then, the machines came… like they did at the time of our extinction…" The voice answered, to which John raised his eyebrow.

"The machines? You mean the geth?" He asked the queen, who continued to talk through the dead asari.

"No… these newer machines… did not exist then… the old ones… they did. They enslaved us back then… and tried to do it again…" The voice explained. Ash nodded, seemingly figuring it out.

"She must mean the Reapers, they are the machines she means. " The human sergeant said. John nodded, agreeing that it made sense.

"So the rachni existed at the time of the protheans?" John asked the queen, who was silent for a moment.

"We existed…. Long ago… long before the second war… war instigated by the machines… the machine in charge of this war as well…" The queen explained. John's eyes widened.

"Sovereign? It was behind the Rachni War?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes…. The machine… the vanguard… it enslaved my mothers… turned them against the other children of the universe…" The queen answered, the asari body still standing on its feet.

"I'd say we did a big service to the galaxy, wiping you out." Wrex said, growling at the queen. John bit his lip, and stroked his chin.

"Benezia mentioned you gave information to Saren, something about the 'Mu Relay'?" He asked the queen.

"Yes… the fallen one… we told him… about the machine that brings new stars to you… we gave him… the coordinates…" The queen explained. Liara, having wiped the tears off her face, walked next to Tali, and spoke up.

"Please… can you give us the coordinates as well?" The asari asked the queen.

Before the queen could answer, a holographic image suddenly popped into existence next to John. As John turned around to look at it, his eyes widened. It was Saren, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at John.

"Well, well… look who's here." The turian Spectre said, smirking a bit. John frowned deeply, seeing the traitorous Spectre.

"I could say the same, Saren… funny how you're never at the site of your operations." The human Spectre answered. Saren laughed a bit, but went silent after he saw Benezia's body on the floor.

"Well… you've been busy, Shepard. I trust that Benezia didn't prove too easy for you to beat?" The turian asked. John raised his eyebrow a bit.

"You don't care that your closest ally is dead?" He asked the turian, who shook his head.

"She was useful, up until now. I think of it as an investment, more than an Alliance. Take the Elanus Risk Control soldiers at Port Hanshan for example. I invested in them, and now they're sowing chaos in my name." Saren explained. That made John's heart jump, and his eyes widen. He hadn't heard anything from Rockwell for a while now. Was what Saren said true? Did the PMC soldiers turn on the Alliance back at Port Hanshan?

"What have you done!? Did you order those soldiers to attack the Alliance and civilians alike!?" Garrus shouted at the turian Spectre, who only laughed quietly.

"I have no knowing of what they are doing there, I simply persuaded them to work for me. And now, I need to have my backup plan be set in motion." Saren said, sighing a bit. John frowned deeply, as he looked at the traitor.

"What backup plan?" He asked Saren, who smirked silently.

"I have no use of the queen anymore… she served her purpose. So now… I just need to tie up loose ends, because as we all know… loose ends can bite you in the ass." Saren said, smirking deviously. After that, he stood straight, waving at John.

"Goodbye, Shepard… see you around, if you survive this." The turian Spectre said, smirking, and disappearing.

Immediately after that, a loud alarm sound rang around the lab, making John and his team look around each other, making ready for a nasty surprise. Then, an overwhelming heat made John, Wrex and Ash back away, as a sea of flame engulfed the entire holding cell, where the rachni queen resided. The fire incinerated the ancient alien, its screams being drowned by the flames. The dead asari body lost its connection to the queen, falling on the floor. John's jaw dropped open, as he looked at the rachni dying right in front of his eyes.

"Keelah…" Tali said quietly, holding her hands on her helmet's mouthpiece.

After the flames died out, the holding cell was empty. Nothing more but a pile of ashes remained. A few moments later, the entire room started to shake slightly, the sounds of muffled explosions clearly being heard. John turned to look at his team.

"Alright! Let's get out of here, come on!" The commander yelled, ordering his squad to follow him, as they all made a run for the elevator they arrived in earlier.

**Few minutes later…**

The entire Peak 15 facility was falling apart, the walls crumbling and crackling, waiting for finally collapsing. John ran at the front of his team, trying to find a way out of the facility. They arrived at a long walkway, with windows covering the entire right side of it, leading outside. The Commander activated his commlink, trying to reach the Normandy.

"This is Shepard to Normandy! Joker, we need evac!" John yelled in the comms, but no answer came through.

Then, out of nowhere, the floor shook for a second, as the Normandy appeared right behind the windows, shattering them due to the shockwave. The ship opened its airlock, revealing Pressly standing at the door, hanging on to the edge of the airlock.

"Come on!" The navigator yelled. John immediately ordered all of his team to jump into the ship.

As John's squad jumped into the Normandy one after another, the young Commander was startled by a loud noise behind him. As he turned around, he saw a door open, revealing Lieutenant Sears and Cullen running through it, being chased by husks.

"Get to the ship!" John yelled, as he saw the two N7 soldiers approaching.

After a moment, all of John's team had entered the Normandy, and now Sears and Cullen had their turn. Covering them with his pistol, John stayed behind as the two N7s entered the ship. Sears then opened fire with his N7 Typhoon, covering John now.

"Come on!" Sears shouted, signaling John to hurry up. The young Commander gathered all his strength, and made a large leap into the Normandy's airlock.

After that, the ship's door closed, and Joker pushed the Normandy's engines to full power. The Alliance frigate steered away from the collapsing facility, launching itself towards Noveria's atmosphere. After the ship had left, Peak 15 crumbled down, and collapsed completely, destroying all the remaining rachni and geth forces inside it.

They had survived this fight, but John wondered how big of the cost was, as he walked into the Normandy's cockpit, to accompany Joker.

**...**

The cold Noveria's climate made Rockwell freeze; he was now using his final strength, to try to keep going. He had walked away from Port Hanshan, but the freezing weather of the planet, and his bullet wounds finally were getting the better of him. Getting too weak, Rockwell fell on his knees, coughing up a bit of blood, and shaking uncontrollably, as he was dangerously close to entering hypothermia.

Suddenly, an M35 Mako, and M38 Badger appeared in front of him, both stopping as they saw the wounded Alliance soldier. After a few moments, three soldiers, clad in cold protective armors, approached Rockwell, kneeling down next to him, and helping him into the Mako.

"Command, we came across a wounded Alliance soldier near Port Hanshan. It seems the colony is under attack. We'll bring him in, see what he knows." One of the soldiers said into his commlink, as he helped his two colleagues get Rockwell into the Mako. Rockwell could see that neither of the vehicles had Alliance markings in them, but being colored white with yellow markings. The Alliance captain then lost his consciousness, and the strange soldiers carried him into the Mako. After that, they closed off the APCs doors, and the two vehicles continued their journey.

The soldiers took off their helmets, the leader of the squad, a dark skinned man, made his way to the Mako's cockpit.

"Get us back to base ASAP, that Alliance soldier needs immediate medical support." The man said to the pilot, who nodded.

"Right away, Taylor." The pilot answered, pressing the vehicle's accelerator to full power.

Inside the M38 Badger, was a peculiar package. A squad of human soldiers surrounded a large container, inside it, was an ancient rachni egg.

On the shoulder batch of one of the soldiers, was a slogan written down.

"Cerberus; the Sword of Humanity" Said the written down slogan.

****Alright, guys! Finally, chapter 11 is here!**

**I'm terribly sorry it took this long to make, but, as you know; I had problems I needed to take care of. Now, I'm more or less free to continue writing.**

**Okay, so a few things about this chapter. Lieutenant Sears (A Commander later), Sergeant Cullen and Lieutenant Xianlin (Captain later), are all my ME3 multiplayer characters, N7 Destroyer, N7 Paladin, and "Human Female Soldier". They'll all appear in later chapters, as well as other characters from my ME3 multiplayer character roster.**

**Alright, so about the rachni; the reason why I chose to let the queen be killed by Saren, is because they serve no real purpose in ME3, other than providing Ravagers to the Reapers. If BioWare had not been so lazy, and had made the rachni have a larger role in the game, as well as the ending, then I'd have chose a different fate for the queen now. But, like you see at the end, Cerberus is now in control of the last reviveable rachni egg. Oh, and yes, that was Jacob at the end. **

**Since you guys have waited so patiently, I'll give you a special treat, and "spoil" the next chapter's title for you. It'll be "The Rise of Balak", so get hyped. **

**Again, thank you for waiting, and enjoy! Peace!**

**Best wishes, Jou. ****


	13. Chapter 12: The Rise of Balak

**Chapter 12: The Rise of Balak**

Terra Nova was a small human colony, in the Asgard star system, neighboring the Utopia system in the Exodus Cluster. Founded in 2150, Terra Nova was one of the first human colonies, outside of Local Cluster. The colony earned its name due to being very similar to Earth, but was around two times smaller in the size. Even though being one of the first worlds humanity colonized, the population of Terra Nova was relatively small; only 4.4 million people, 1.2 million of them living in the planet's capital city of Scott.

A small Alliance fleet guarded Terra Nova's orbit, consisting of three cruisers, five frigates, and around 80 fighters. The colony's defenses could not hold their own against an attack from the geth fleet, and the colony's citizens had made several petitions to get the Alliance send in more ships to protect them, especially since their home was only a star system away from Eden Prime.

Relatively far away from the planet's orbit, floated around a massive, 16 kilometers sized asteroid, which housed a small Alliance research facility in it. The asteroid had been brought to Terra Nova a few weeks ago, using immensely powerful thruster engines to move the giant rock around. Called X57, the asteroid caused widespread suspicion in Terra Nova's population, everyone being unsure what the giant piece of metallic rock was being used for.

A small Kodiak shuttle suddenly warped in to the system, heading towards the asteroid. The shuttle was in Alliance colors, and it made its way towards the asteroid's hangar bay.

The personnel inside the hangar opened its doors for the shuttle. Even though they didn't have a shuttle arrival scheduled for the day, the two workers let the shuttle land, since it was in Alliance colors.

The shuttle decreased its speed, bringing itself to a stop inside the hangar, and slowly descending on the ground. After a moment, the shuttle had landed inside the hangar, and the bay's doors closed off.

One of the two workers inside the hangar bay's control room got up from his seat.

"Hm, I wonder what that shuttle is up to; we have no scheduled arrivals today." The man said, and walked out of the room, approaching the shuttle.

The shuttle's main door opened, and to the man's surprise, revealed a dozen armed batarians standing in the passenger compartment. The man stopped, and his jaw dropped to the ground. The batarians quickly raised their weapons, and opened fire. The worker was dead in seconds, and two of the batarian attackers quickly shot the control room full of bullets, killing the other worker as well.

With the hangar bay clear, the batarian group left the shuttle, their leader looking around. The leader then signaled his troops to move out.

"All armed guards are hostiles, kill them. Take the scientists and researchers as hostages. Move out!" The batarian ordered in his low, gruff voice. The soldiers did as asked, and made their way out of the hangar bay with speed.

In the next few minutes, the entire Alliance research base was filled with gunshots and terrified screams, the batarian leader calmly walking around the base, with his personal guard following him closely.

"Round up all the hostages in the main atrium." The leader ordered, looking at a few of his men, who had taken several human hostages already.

"We'll send a powerful message with this attack, Balak." One of the leader's guards said, to which the leader, Balak answered with a slight laugh.

"Yes, if we succeed." He said.

Few moments later, Balak walked to two of his men, who were executing some surrendering Alliance guards. The batarian terrorist got the men's attention.

"After you're done, go to the engine control room, and activate the thrusters… we'll smash this asteroid on the planet." Balak said, to which the two men nodded, and quickly shot the two remaining guards, and then left to look for the engine controls.

Balak then made his way to the main atrium, wanting to see the rounded up hostages himself.

**Five minutes later…**

SSV Okinawa, the leading cruiser in Terra Nova's defense fleet, floated around in the planet's orbit, most of its crew sitting around, being bored as usual. The ship's crew was mostly young fresh graduates from Naval School, who wanted to see real action and space combat. Being stationed at Terra Nova was truly boring for some of the hotheaded crewmembers, even though the planet was close to Eden Prime.

Inside the cruiser's main radar room, a bored crewmember, Arno Koilio, sat on his seat in a relaxed manner, having his feet on the radar desk. The man had a cup of hot coffee in his hands, and he took a sip from it occasionally, having no care in the world.

Suddenly, the radar loudly started to bleep, making Arno jump a bit. The coffee cup fell from his hands, and the hot liquid landed on the man's crotch.

"Aaaauuhh! Perkele!" The Finnish born man yelled, quickly getting up from his seat, patting down his pants to get the heat to disappear. After a moment, the man settled down, and swiped his desk off irrelevant papers and other junk. Now clear, the radar showed something peculiar to the man.

Arno could see a massive object closing in on the planet, increasing its speed every second.

"Shit…" The man said quietly, and sat back down on his seat, activating a holocommunicator on his desk. Another man's hologram appeared then.

"Lieutenant Horace! I detected an incoming object closing in on us. It might be the asteroid orbiting the planet." Arno said, being slightly alarmed. The man in the hologram raised his eyebrows, and nodded.

"Alright, thank you Corporal, I'll notify the Captain immediately. Keep your eyes on that radar." The Lieutenant ordered, and his hologram disappeared.

After that, Arno continued to look at the radar, running other programs to his side. The man felt extremely uncomfortable, having his crotch being moist due to his accident earlier, but this was far more important to him, than changing his pants.

On the ship's bridge, Lieutenant Horace walked to the Captain's seat, on which the ship's captain, Marlene Terrace, was sitting on.

"Captain Terrace, we have a problem. The asteroid X57, which orbits Terra Nova, has begun moving towards the planet. Scans show its thruster engines are running on full power." The Lieutenant explained. The woman captain raised her eyebrows, and immediately sat straighter on her seat.

"Dear God… how long until it hits?" Terrace asked, to which the Lieutenant sighed deeply.

"By our estimates... less than three hours." Horace answered, sounding defeated already. Terrace stroked her chin, trying to find a solution. After a few moments, she then answered.

"Contact Admiral Hackett, his fleet is the closest one to us… they won't get here in time, but maybe they'll have patrols nearby, that can land on the asteroid, and turn it around. In the mean time, begin bombardment on the asteroid, as soon as it reaches the maximum range of our cannons. Try to contact the personnel on board it as well. If they don't answer… then we have no choice but to try to destroy it, until we have reinforcements." The Captain ordered, to which Horace nodded, and immediately left to tend to his orders.

The worried human captain then leaned back on her seat, sighing deeply.

…**..**

The Normandy flew past a couple Alliance cruisers, leaving the Alliance's headquarters, the Arcturus station behind. Flying past Admiral Hackett's dreadnaught, the SSV Endeavor, the Normandy cleared its way past any obstacles, and was ready to jump to light speed.

The advanced frigate had arrived to the station a couple of hours earlier, and had dropped off the surviving Alliance members, from the massacre at Port Hanshan, on Noveria. John had made sure the shocked soldiers were taken to the station's medical wards, to receive physical and mental help.

After they had done that, John had ordered the Normandy to leave the station behind, in order to continue the search for Saren. Now standing in the ship's conference room, John was in the middle of an audience with the Citadel Council.

"Commander Shepard, we're very pleased to hear that your mission to Noveria was a success." The asari Councilor Tevos said a smile on her face.

"Yes, and very shocked to hear about the massacre at Port Hanshan. Our condolences are sincere for the Alliance, and the civilians, Commander. It was an attack against the whole Citadel Space." The salarian Councilor Valern said, crossing his arms. The turian councilor Sparatus nodded to that.

"Yes, a terrible tragedy. I have been coordinating with the turian military, as well as the Alliance, to mount an assault on Noveria, to erase this rogue PMC takeover. We should be able to eliminate this threat very soon, so we can move in to secure the fallen soldiers, and killed civilians." The turian explained. John was pleased to hear that; the turians and the Alliance seemed to gain more trusting of each other, due to this conflict against Saren.

"I appreciate your concerns and help, Councilors. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to apprehend Matriarch Benezia alive, she was killed in the firefight we had against her." The young human Spectre said, placing his hands behind his back. The councilors all nodded in understanding.

"It's not your fault, Commander. Your mission is to stop Saren, and his allies, whatever the cost. Matriarch Benezia betrayed our entire species; her death is mourned by some, but is arguably for the better of the galaxy." Tevos said, slightly smiling to reassure John.

"Yes. Interrogating Benezia would have maybe provided us with more information, but in the end, this is a good outcome." Sparatus said. Valern nodded, and stroked his small chin.

"I've been in contact with several STG teams; they have been investigating several leads into Saren. I'm confident, that they'll find out where he's hiding relatively soon." The salarian said.

The Salarian Special Tasks Group was the most well known and most renowned Special Forces group in the galaxy. The prestigious organization influenced the creation of the Spectres, several hundred years ago. Although being mainly responsible reconnaissance and espionage, the STG teams were also highly trained for military operations. Many salarian Spectres were former STG operatives. John was more than happy to hear, that several STG teams would help him in his mission.

"I appreciate the help, Councilor." The young human commander said with a smile. Councilor Tevos then smiled as well.

"Good luck, Commander, we'll wait for further success in your mission." The asari said, closing off transmission between the Council, and John.

John quietly sighed after that, taking a deep breath. Being a Spectre was a tremendous honor, and a tremendous responsibility. The young human hoped from the bottom of his heart, that he wouldn't fail; the fate of the entire human race, and all other races, was on his shoulders.

As the Commander turned around to head out of the conference room, Kaidan suddenly rushed in, taking John's attention.

"John, we have a problem. Admiral Hackett is on the line." The young Lieutenant said, to which John raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He asked to confirm, to which Kaidan nodded, and coordinated John to walk back to the hologram projector. After the two walked in front of the projector, Admiral Hackett's hologram appeared. The old Alliance admiral stood straight, his hands behind his back.

"Commander, good to see you." Hackett said, striking a slight smile a John. The young Commander and Kaidan both saluted the admiral.

"Good to see you too, sir. Kaidan tells me something is wrong." John said, waiting for Hackett to answer. The old admiral nodded his head.

"That's correct. We have a situation brewing on Terra Nova. A large asteroid, used for Alliance research, is heading straight for the planet. The small defense fleet there cannot stop the asteroid with firepower, so I need you to lead a boarding party to the asteroid, and steer it away from the planet." Hackett explained calmly, though worry clearly showing on his face. John stroked his short stubble, thinking.

"You think the asteroid has been hijacked?" The Commander asked, to which Hackett nodded.

"Yes… I'm afraid Saren's allies, or likeminded terrorists, have hijacked it, and are trying to destroy Terra Nova." The Admiral answered, making John worried now as well. The young commander then nodded his head in understanding.

"I'll set course for Terra Nova immediately, we'll stop this asteroid." He said determinately, to which Hackett struck a confident smirk.

"That's what I like to hear, Commander. Good luck." The Admiral said, quickly saluting to John, who returned the salute with Kaidan. After that, Hackett's hologram disappeared. John immediately turned to Kaidan.

"Go tell Joker to get us to Terra Nova right now. After that, go prepare, I'll inform the others." The Commander ordered, to which his second in command nodded, rushing out the conference room.

John took a deep breath, and left the room as well, heading out to inform Ash and the others about the mission.

**An hour later…**

The Normandy warped into the system, arriving several thousand kilometers away from Terra Nova's upper orbit. The frigate sprung its engines to full power, and headed towards the large asteroid, approaching the planet.

Terra Nova's defense fleet had positioned itself in front of the approaching asteroid, and several flights of fighters flew back and forth between the giant rock, and the defense fleet.

On the Normandy's crew deck, John was putting the final pieces of his N7 armor in place. The young human commander had no idea what he was getting into, but the asteroid had to be stopped, before it could reach Terra Nova.

As he tightened the final piece of the armor on his body, having now finished putting it on, John noticed Tali watching him a couple of meters away. He smiled slightly, as he could clearly see Tali being in her own thoughts, not noticing that John had seen her.

The young quarian's day dreaming was disrupted, as Ashley and Garrus walked past her. Ash, wearing a black and red armor, which had custom made tags on it. John liked seeing Alliance soldiers personalizing their armors, even though many deemed that unprofessional and amateurish. The young human sergeant quickly saluted John, as she and Garrus came in front of him.

"Ready for action, Skipper; just point me at the bad guys." Ash said confidently, winking her eye at John, who smirked a bit to that.

Kaidan, Liara and Wrex arrived to the scene as well, Liara having equipped a light blue colored armor, and Kaidan his N7 armor. Tali walked to the group as well.

"Alright, listen up everyone. An asteroid is heading towards a small human colony world of Terra Nova. We'll stop the asteroid, by boarding it, and steering it away from the planet. If we encounter any hostiles, they are to be shot if you are shot upon at first." John explained, all of his team nodding in acknowledgment.

"First, me, Ashley and Garrus, will drop off at the Alliance research facility's frontal entrance, and secure the engine controls, and steer the asteroid away. After that, we'll secure our way to the main atrium, where the second boarding party, lead by Kaidan, will enter, and help secure the rest of the station. Am I understood?" The Commander asked, to which his entire team nodded. John smiled slightly, nodding as well.

"Alright, let's go save the day." He said then, and turned around to head towards the ship's bridge, his team following.

A few minutes later, the Normandy flew over asteroid X57's rocky terrain. A few Alliance fighters flew past the frigate, firing up rockets at the large thruster engines on the asteroid's surface, only to be absorbed completely by powerful kinetic barriers protecting the engines.

Joker flew the Normandy to the Alliance research facility's main entrance, levitating above it. Suddenly a volley of cannon rounds flew past the ship, forcing Joker to quickly make a few evasive maneuvers.

"Holy shit! SSV Okinawa, hold fire! I repeat, hold fire!" The Normandy's pilot yelled into the microphone, having a direct line of communications with the defense fleet's captain. A few seconds later, the fleet ceased to fire upon the asteroid.

"This is Captain Terrace, my apologies, Flight Lieutenant. We'll hold position, but please hurry." The woman voice of Captain Terrace said through the comms. John, who stood beside Joker, nodded.

"We'll get the job done, Captain." The human Commander said, and quickly turned around, heading to the ship's airlock, where Garrus and Ashley were waiting.

"Good luck!" Joker's voice yelled from the cockpit, after which the airlock's door closed. John and his two companions put helmets on, and the small airlock began depressurization, sucking the air out, and matching the pressure with the asteroid's surface. After that, the outer airlock door opened, revealing the rocky surface of the asteroid outside.

John signaled his squad to follow, as he jumped off the edge on the airlock, falling slowly down on the asteroid's surface, landing on the rocky ground. Ash and Garrus followed shortly after, Garrus staggering a bit as he landed.

"The low gravity is making you disoriented?" Ashley asked the turian beside her, who nodded.

"Not used to spacewalking, that's all…" Garrus answered, getting his balance in order again. John signaled them to follow him, as he made his way towards the airlock, which would lead into the facility.

**Five minutes later…**

The three headed squad walked around the Alliance facility's hallways, approaching the engine control room now. They hadn't seen any hostiles yet, only a few killed scientists and guards. John led his two companions towards the control room, staying ready for any surprises.

A few moments later, the three entered the room, immediately seeing a few executed Alliance personnel. As John turned to look to his right, he saw two batarian soldiers, chatting a few meters away. As Ashley saw them, she immediately drew her assault rifle.

"Freeze!" The young Sergeant yelled. The two batarians jumped as they saw the three armed soldiers, but drew their weapons as well, and opened fire. A shot hit Garrus in his armor, and he staggered just a bit. John and Ash then fired their weapons, quickly killing the two attacking batarians.

After the firefight, John made his way to the batarian bodies, while Ash and Garrus took control of the engine consoles. The human Commander frowned, as he looked upon the two dead batarians.

"Batarians… must be a small terrorist organization. No way would the Hegemony order something like this." John said, turning to look at his two companions, who handled the controls. A second later, the asteroid began shaking just a tiny bit, as Ashley put the engines on full power.

"The asteroid is no steered to go past the planet, Skipper. That was a close one." The young sergeant said, to which John smiled.

"Well done, you two. Alright, let's go to the atrium; Kaidan's team will arrive there shortly." He said, signaling the two to follow him out of the control room.

**Few minutes later…**

A quiet hallway inside the Alliance facility was suddenly filled with loud gunshots, as John and his two squadmates rushed towards the main atrium, shooting at three guarding batarians, who were hell bent on stopping the three headed squad.

John took cover behind a large container set down on the hallway, and Ashley and Garrus took cover behind a corner opposite to it. The three batarians sprayed their assault rifles at the covering soldiers. After shooting their clips empty, the fierce soldiers reloaded.

"We can do this all day! We have plenty of ammo!" One of the batarians shouted, taunting John and his squad, who were still behind cover.

The young Commander looked to his two companions, who were waiting for orders. John looked at Garrus, and signaled with his hands, imitating throwing a grenade. Garrus got, what John was thinking, and grabbed a flashbang grenade from his waist belt. The turian pulled the bin off, and gave the grenade to Ashley, who immediately threw it at the three batarians.

A second later, the grenade exploded, stunning the three batarians with a bright flash of light, and deafening sound. After that, both John and Ashley emerged from their cover. John surrounded his body with blue biotic energy, and shot a burst of that energy at the batarians.

As the biotic energy hit the batarians, it lifted the three grunts in the air, making them float. Ashley then aimed his M-8 Avenger rifle, and shot a concussive round at the floating batarians. The explosion was immense, and the shockwave blew air at the three soldiers, making John stagger a bit.

As the smoke cleared, the hallway was empty again. John signaled Ashley and Garrus to follow him, as they quickly made their way into the main atrium.

As the three entered the large room, John could immediately see a smaller room to their right, with a large window looking into the atrium, being filled with human hostages. John could also see several explosive devices being scattered all around the atrium.

On top of several sets of stairs, at the center of the atrium, six batarian soldiers looked at the three intruders, five of them having their weapons drawn at John and his team. The batarian at the middle of the five others, looked upon John with determination, and with no fear.

"Commander Shepard… should have known it'd be you, who came to stop me…" The batarian said with his deep voice. John raised his eyebrow at that.

"You know who I am?" He asked the batarian leader, who chuckled just a bit.

"Everyone knows about you, Shepard… you're the most famous human in the galaxy. Your war with Saren and his minions has not gone by deaf ears, even for the Hegemony." The batarian said, putting his hands behind his back.

"So, you're working for the Batarian Hegemony? Did they put you up to this?" The young Commander asked the batarian, who shook his head.

"No… I am no longer in their service. Not directly at least. I used to be like you, Shepard… a soldier for a cause, for a military. I was a Commanding officer of a ship during the Battle of Arcturus Stream." The batarian explained, to which John nodded quietly.

The Battle of Arcturus Stream was one of the first battles in the Skyllian Blitz, in which a small batarian fleet was completely destroyed by the Alliance, save for a few individual ships.

"So who are you then? What do you think you'll gain by doing this?" John then asked. The batarian was quiet for a moment, but agreed to answer.

"I'm Ka'hairal Balak, and I was a prestigious commander in the Hegemony's navy. Thanks to your Alliance, Shepard, I was held accountable for the loss of the battle at Arcturus, and I was thus stripped from all my power and rank." Balak explained, to which John crossed his arms over his chest.

"So you're doing this all out of bitterness towards the Alliance, because they beat you during the Blitz?" He asked the grunted batarian, who frowned deeply now.

"You people took everything from me! I lost my life's work! My family! My pride! All because of you humans, and your Alliance!" Balak shouted, squeezing his fists tight. John frowned too, taking a couple of steps forward.

"And now you aim to ruin innocent lives, just because you're bitter! You're no man, if you stoop that low, Balak." John said strongly, looking straight into Balak's eyes. The batarian was quiet for a moment, which felt like an eternity.

"Your taunting is pointless, Shepard. You may have ruined my plans to destroy Terra Nova, but I still hold important cards." Balak said, taking an explosive trigger from his armor's pockets.

"This room is filled with six explosives, Shepard. One of these explosives is inside that room with the hostages in it. This trigger in my hands is set to explode that with a single push. You now have a choice, Shepard… kill me, or save the hostages. If you try both, I'll explode all the devices, and we'll all die." Balak said threateningly, holding his thumb above the trigger.

John's heart was beating fast. He turned his gaze to the hostages inside the small room, all of them looking at John with fear in their eyes. The Commander bit his lower lip, what could he do?

After a few straining moments, John sighed deeply, and lowered his pistol. Balak's eyes widened, as he saw that.

"I choose the hostages, Balak… Get out of here…" John said quietly, frowning deeply. Garrus and Ashley were a bit surprised at John's decision, but didn't want to object in any way. Balak looked at John with surprise in his eyes.

"Surprising… you'll just let me leave?" The batarian asked. John shook his head.

"You're free to go now, if you spare the hostages. But know this, Balak… I will find you someday…" The Commander vowed, determination filling his voice. Balak nodded, understanding.

After a few moments, Balak ordered his troops to leave with him. As four of the batarians walked in front of John and his team, Balak, one of the four, stopped before John. The batarian extended his hand to John, in order to give him the trigger. As John was about to grab it, Balak pushed the trigger, which activated all the explosives in the atrium. Seeing that they didn't explode, John immediately figured out that they were on a timer. The human commander looked deep into Balak's eyes in anger.

"Heh… you fucker…" John said quietly, as Balak smirked at him. Before he could do anything else, Balak smacked his face with a strong punch, making John fall on the cold floor.

As Balak then ran away, the three other batarians attacked Ash and Garrus, pushing them on the ground as well. The three batarians then ran after Balak. Ahs quickly got up, and aimed her rifle at one of the fleeing batarians, shooting him in the back, killing him.

Garrus got up as well, and opened fire on two batarians, who had been left behind. John shook his head to get his senses back, as Ash and Garrus were in a firefight with the two batarian soldiers on the other side of the atrium.

The two batarians gradually fell back, as Ash and Garrus approach them, shooting fiercely. As Ash and Garrus had to reload, the batarians ran to the back of the atrium, opening a door, that'd lead out.

Behind the door, however, was Wrex. The hulking krogan grabbed the other batarian by his throat, lifting him in the air. The other batarian jumped back a bit, and tried to shoot at Wrex, but was suddenly killed by a powerful shotgun blast, being fired next to Wrex, by Tali, who was holding an M-23 Katana in her hands.

Wrex then threw the batarian on the ground, after which Kaidan and Liara entered the room, surrounding the incapacitated batarian, and holding him at gunpoint.

John saw that as his opportunity, and he pointed at Ash and Garrus.

"Ash! Garrus! Disarm the bombs! I'll go after Balak!" The Commander shouted, and started running to the way where Balak had run to earlier. As John was running away, Tali tried to get his attention.

"John!" She yelled, but John didn't hear. Wrex ran past her.

"I'll get him." The krogan said, as he moved past Tali, and made his way after John, running fast with his krogan feet.

**A few moments later…**

John ran in the research facility's hallways, heading towards the main hangar bay. He was sure that's where Balak was going for. The young Commander ran past many empty hallways and rooms, being abandoned because of Balak's attack.

A few moments later, he arrived to the main hangar bay, seeing a Kodiak shuttle slowly taking off; its doors still open, showing Balak inside it. John ran further into the hangar, and opened fire on the shuttle, hitting its hull. Balak got up from his seat, lifting his hand to stop John from shooting. The Commander stopped firing, and Balak's men also restrained themselves from shooting at John. The two now faced each other, their eyes locked at one another.

"You're not as I imagined you to be, Shepard. You could have killed me right there, but you chose not to." Balak said, looking upon John, as the Alliance colored Kodiak shuttle levitated above the ground. John kept his pistol pointed at the batarian.

"I won't sacrifice innocent lives to take you down, Balak. But you can't run away from the Alliance now… everyone will know your face." The Commander said in a strong voice, frowning at the batarian, who smirked just slightly.

"That might be… but at the very least, you and I won't meet again." Balak answered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't care if I'm not the one to take you down, Balak… someone, someday will take you out… I promise you that." John said determinately, to which Balak nodded.

"Understood, Shepard… well, until that day comes… this is our goodbye. Farewell, Shepard…" Balak said, quickly glancing at a soldier next to him, who suddenly drew an M-77 missile launcher, and shot it at John.

Those few seconds, as the fired missile approached John, felt like an eternity. John delved into his thoughts, thinking deeply. His sights were still on Balak. He had a choice, either jump away from the missile, or kill Balak, and die. If he'd die now, he couldn't stop Saren, but if he killed Balak now, the batarian couldn't cause more death and suffering, while John searched for Saren.

Before he could decide, John felt his body being jerked away from the missile's path. Wrex jumped and grabbed John in his arms, taking him off the incoming missile's path. The missile struck the floor, and exploded, making Wrex cover John from the fragments.

Balak's Kodiak shuttle then closed its door, turning around to fly out of the hangar. After a few moments, the shuttle sprung its engines to full power, and flew out of the hangar, flying away from the asteroid with great speed.

John coughed a bit, as Wrex's stunt had blown the air out of his lungs. The krogan chuckled a bit, as he got up.

"Heh, damn Shepard, you just can't stay out of dangerous situations, can you?" Wrex said, laughing a bit, pulling John up as well, maybe a bit too violently. John still coughed a bit, which made Wrex tap John's back, again being a bit stronger than what the young Commander expected.

"Thanks, Wrex… you really saved my ass there." John said between coughing, trying to get his lungs full of air again. Wrex laughed again a little.

"Well, that's what I do best; enter dramatically, and save the day." The krogan said with a wide smirk.

**An hour later…**

Asteroid X57 was no liberated from the batarian terrorists. John and his team helped the surviving Alliance personnel round up the fallen guards and scientists, as well as clean up the mess that was left there. The Alliance reinforcements had arrived as well, having come to help the people in need.

John was walking in the atrium with the leading scientist of the facility, Dr. Kate Bowman. The doctor was still in slight shock, but was extremely grateful for John's efforts to rescue them, and Terra Nova.

"I still can't believe this all happened, Commander… so many of my colleagues dead... it's horrible." The doctor said, her voice shaking just a tiny bit. John nodded, understanding what she's going through.

"I understand, doctor. They didn't die for nothing, though. We were able to stop Balak's plans, and that makes all the people who gave their lives here today heroes. They're heroes, Kate, all of them." John said reassuring, placing his hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"I… I guess so… thank you Commander, thank you so much." Kate said, tears rolling from her eyes.

The grieving doctor then walked to some of the bodies, wanting to mourn more. John understood that, and left her to it. The young Commander then walked away from the atrium, taking a small break from the work.

After a few moments, Tali walked to him, leaning on a hallway's wall next to him.

"Quite a day, huh?" John asked the quarian, who leaned on the wall beside him. Tali nodded.

"Definitely. I still can't believe that batarian could just try to destroy an entire colony." She said quietly. John agreed, nodding, and sighing a bit.

"I know… but, we stopped him… that has to be enough for now. Sometimes… I'm not sure if what I do is enough to keep the galaxy safe…" John said quietly. Tali didn't agree with that, and she walked in front of John, taking his hands, and looking into his eyes.

"John, you're the only one fighting harder that most against Saren. You're the only one who can defeat him. I believe in you, we all do… and we'll all stand by you, until the end." She said confidently, looking into John's eyes. John smiled at her, gently lifting his hand to stroke Tali's helmet's cheek.

"Thanks, Tali… you're really the best." He said quietly, smiling at the beautiful quarian, who blushed behind her helmet.

"No… you are.." Tali answered softly, leaning her head a bit to John's touch.

The two continued to stay close to each other for a few minutes, before returning to work. Even though it was a small moment, John loved every second of it.

**...**

A low humming sound surrounded a small dark room in a large facility. Saren sat on a chair hooked up to tubes and other advanced tech. The fallen turian Spectre sat quietly in the ominous chair, having his eyes closed. A sudden voice got Saren's attention however.

"Saren!" A deep voice called out. The turian opened his eyes, a blue glow illuminating from them. Saren blinked, and the glow was gone. He then got up from his chair, and turned around, seeing a batarian having his arms crossed over his chest through a hologram.

"Balak… my sources tell me your mission to Terra Nova was a failure…" The turian said in his gruff voice. Balak frowned deeply, as he looked at the turian.

"Shepard was there, he ruined my plans." The batarian explained. Saren smirked a bit, and placed his hands behind his back.

"Now, that's most unfortunate. What do you plan on now?" He asked Balak, who frowned and pointed at Saren.

"You promised me a success! You promised me that the Hegemony will take me back! Now I know you're not to be trusted!" The batarian said angrily, to which Saren frowned a bit too.

"You're turning your back on me?" The turian asked, to which Balak nodded his head.

"It was a mistake to ever agree to work with you! You're nothing but a liar, and I wish I could tear your eyes out. But I won't do that. I'll head back to Khar'shan… I hope you rot in Hell, Saren…" Balak said angrily, and ended the transmission.

After the batarian's hologram disappeared, Saren simply returned to sit in his seat. The traitor Spectre closed his eyes again, leaning back on the dark chair. After a few moments, Saren could again hear the voice.

"**Another ally betrayed you…"** The voice said, booming in Saren's head. The turian smirked.

"It's alright… I didn't need him anyway." He said plainly. The voice disagreed.

"**Even though you're confident, you're not invincible, Saren…"** The voice stated. Saren smirked again, shaking his head.

"Shepard won't stop me… I'll have an army of krogan ready soon. With that, and the geth, I'll take over Council Space." The turian said confidently. The voice was quiet for a moment, but spoke up again.

"**Remember the deal we made, Saren… you wouldn't do well to forget."** The voice warned, making Saren to frown a bit.

"I know the deal… just give me a bit more time…" He said to the voice, which stayed quiet again for a bit.

"**Our patience wears thin… you are not as valuable as you'd like to think…" **The voice said, and now, disappeared for good.

Saren opened his eyes, sighing a bit, and then leaning back on the seat, stroking his chin, while his mandibles moved anxiously.

**...**

The Red Square of Moscow was filled with commoners, going about their daily business. The red wall of Kremlin had stood for hundreds of years, and was still a significant fortification to the Russian government and military.

An Alliance admiral stood near the red wall, having the World War III memorial plaque behind him. The man looked back and forth to his sides, clearly waiting for something.

Alliance Rear Admiral Kahoku had arrived to Moscow, in order to meet with his old friend, Oleg Petrovsky, who was an Alliance veteran as well, but who had left the military's service several years ago.

Looking around again, Kahoku could now see his old friend approach him, wearing a leather dust coat. The Alliance officer smiled a bit, as he walked to meet his old friend and colleague, shaking Petrovsky's hand.

"It's been too long, Oleg. How have you been?" Kahoku asked his old friend, who smiled a bit too.

"I've been well, George. Seems like the Alliance has proven to be good for you." Petrovsky said, noticing Kahoku's admiral's uniform. Kahoku laughed a bit, and nodded.

"Yes, the years have given me many promotions, but much more responsibility." He explained, to which Petrovsky nodded in understanding. The Belarusian born, British man then sighed quietly.

"George… I called you to meet me, in order to ask you about Cerberus. I know you have been talking to several Alliance officials about them." Petrovsky said, to which Kahoku raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes… I don't know how you heard about it, but yes… I've been talking to some people about Cerberus. I have evidence to prove that Cerberus was part of a brutal experiment involving thresher maws several years ago." Kahoku explained.

Thresher maws were huge worm-like creatures, native to Tuchanka, which lived on many planets around the galaxy. They were fierce and dangerous creatures, and several years ago, an Alliance patrol was killed by several thresher maws, which Kahoku suspected to be an experiment, done by the pro-human paramilitary organization Cerberus.

Petrovsky sighed, and nodded.

Then suddenly, a white Kodiak shuttle landed near the two, making Kahoku suspicious. His old friend sighed again, but looked very determined. Two armed soldiers, wearing white and yellow armor, approached the two. Kahoku now knew what was going on. He looked at his old friend with sheer disbelief.

"You… Cerberus..?" The Filipino man asked, his jaw open. Petrovsky stayed quiet, and signaled the two soldiers to apprehend Kahoku.

"Get in the shuttle, George…" Petrovsky said, not walking towards the shuttle.

Two Moscow police officers noticed the landed shuttle, and approached the group.

"Hey! You can't land here!" One of the officers yelled.

One of the Cerberus soldiers turned around, and opened fire on the officers, deliberately shooting at their feet. The officers jumped back.

"Chyort! Shoot them!" The officer yelled, and he and his partner drew their pistols, opening fire.

The two Cerberus soldiers kept Kahoku safe, escorting him into the shuttle. After everyone was on board, the shuttle fired up its engines, closing its door, and quickly ascending to the air.

As the police officers continued to fire on the Cerberus shuttle, the pilot steered it towards the sky, and pushed the thrusters on full. The shuttle quickly flew away from the Square, heading towards Earth's atmosphere.

Petrovsky had betrayed Kahoku, and was now sitting opposite to his old friend. Kahoku sighed deeply. He knew this wouldn't end well for him.

****Okay, here you go guys, chapter 12!**

**Now, I know this one is a lot shorter, but I just couldn't come up with anything else.**

**I'll make the next chapter longer. Might not be as long as the past two chapters, but at least a bit longer than this. **

**I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, the ending should let you know what the next chapter is about. I hope you'll like that too, let me know in the reviews.**

**Anyway, have a great time. **

**Best regards, Jou!****


	14. Chapter 13: Cerberus

**Chapter 13: Cerberus**

A strong gust of wind pushed a grassy hill's surface back and forth, as two Kodiak-class shuttles, and an A-61 Mantis Gunship flew over it.

The temperate planet Binthu housed a small human colony of 266 people, in the town of Haven. The people living there enjoyed mostly a peaceful life, trading in various supplies, and exporting farmed goods, which the towns many farms and ranches produced.

The tree fast moving ships approached Haven with speed. They were colored in white and yellow markings, black outlying some parts as well. Inside the two shuttles waited groups of armed men, clad in white, yellow and black armors. Various markings decorated many of the soldiers' armors, as well as their organization's logos.

They were soldiers belonging to Cerberus, a pro-humanity paramilitary organization. For years, this elusive organization had stayed off the grid, making several shadow operations on the Alliance, as well as other targets. Protecting humanity's integrity and future, Cerberus went to any lengths, in order to preserve those things. That included eliminating or attacking other human targets as well. In the recent years, Cerberus had made a few attacks on various targets, the quarian Migrant Fleet being one of them. A few days ago, they had kidnapped an Alliance admiral George Kahoku, for unknown reasons.

The three ships approached the small town with great speed, flying over the last grassy hills, before Haven came into view. The A-61 Mantis pushed itself more up in the air, while the two Kodiak shuttles descended.

Panicked civilians made their way out of the streets, as the two shuttles landed. Two other Kodiak shuttles had already landed in the town's center, unloading two groups of soldiers. The two most recently arrived shuttles opened their doors as well, and let out the troopers that were inside them. The A-61 Mantis was now slowly moving around the town, floating several meters above the buildings.

Dozens of Cerberus troopers now assaulted the town, kicking down several buildings' doors, and rushing inside. Screaming civilians were apprehended, and several soldiers rounded them up to the town center. In a few minutes, the town's entire populace was rounded up at the center of Haven. The dozens of Cerberus troops held the panicked civilians at gunpoint.

The commanding officer of the attack approached the apprehended civilians, being backed by a few soldiers. The man wore a similar armor than that to his troops, but he had no helmet. The man dug up a cigarette from his armor's pockets, and lighted it up, puffing on the smoke. The man looked over the civilians, exhaling smoke.

"I am sure some of you have no idea, why we're doing this. But… some of you know exactly why…" The man said in a loud voice, so that all the civilians could hear. The panicked people looked at each other.

"It has come to our attention, that one or several of you have leaked information about our operations here to the Alliance. Do us all a favor, and turn yourselves in, whoever you are. We will not leave, until we know who has talked." The man explained, puffing his cigarette again. One of the apprehended civilians, an older man, spoke up.

"Carston, why do you bully us like this? We have kept our mouths shut, all of us… we just want to live in peace." The man, Haven's mayor, said. Carston, the Cerberus force's leader hummed quietly, and threw his cigarette away, taking a few steps closer to the man.

"And we would leave you alone, if you'd do the same with us, which one or several of you, hasn't done." Carston said, his voice echoing frustration.

After a few moments of silence, the Cerberus officer sighed deeply, and signaled his men. A few troopers pressed their weapons at the civilians' heads. Suddenly, one of the civilians cried out loudly.

"Wait! It was me! I told the Alliance… just… don't hurt anyone!" The young man yelled, his voice filled with defeat. Carston smirked a bit now, standing straight again.

"See? That wasn't so hard. Boys, let's wrap up here and take this strayed sheep to our flock" The Cerberus officer said, to which his men did as ordered. Two troopers grabbed the young man, and escorted him away. The other troopers released their civilian captives, and started to make their way to the shuttles. But suddenly, several troopers aimed their weapons at the surrounding buildings, and opened fire. A few soldiers had grenade launchers as their weapons, using them to blow holes in the buildings. The terrified civilians screamed, as the Cerberus troops fired upon their homes. A few moments later, the soldiers stopped, Carston looking upon the scared civilians.

"Let this be a lesson for you all. Cerberus looks after their own. If you help us, we will help you. Let's go boys!" The Cerberus officer said, signaling his men to board the Kodiak shuttles. The soldiers did as ordered, heading towards the shuttles now.

A few minutes later, the shuttles were full again. The shuttles ignited their engines, and quickly ascended towards the sky, pushing them away from Haven. The terrified civilians stayed standing at the town's center, looking at each other in fear, their houses burning around them.

**...**

_A strange noise got John's attention, and the young human looked around his surroundings. He was at a large field, filled with wheat crops. The locale was beautiful, and John felt good being there. It filled him with peace and harmony, but something troubled him. That strange sound he heard made him look around, trying to pinpoint its source._

_As he looked around, John suddenly saw a pleasant sight to his right. He could see Tali walking in the fields, her hands gently running through the wheat crops, as she walked. That made John smile, and he made his way towards the beautiful quarian. Tali didn't seem to notice John, as he walked closer to her. After he got just a few meters away from her, John tried reaching out to her with his hand, but Tali then suddenly disappeared. John raised his eyebrows, and looked around himself, trying to figure out what happened._

"_John." A familiar voice said. John turned around, and saw Jane standing several meters away from him. His younger sister smiled beautifully, making John smile again too. _

_As John now made his way towards Jane, a loud roaring sound suddenly filled the air. The warm winds suddenly turned cold, and the sun's light disappeared, bringing darkness to the field. John looked up, and to his fear, saw the huge shadow of Sovereign descend upon the field. The Reaper ship roared as its giant tentacle-like legs touched down on the ground, sending earthquake like tremors around, which made John lose his balance. _

_Jane screamed suddenly and John tried to run to her. A blinding light made the young human then close his eyes, his sister's scream making his heart race. The light disappeared, and John was able to open his eyes. Jane was gone, and now several dark figures approached John. He could make out the shadowy figures; they were Saren and the geth. The traitorous turian Spectre approached him, being flanked by geth troopers._

"_You have failed, Shepard." Saren said with a terrifying, loud voice, which made John clench his teeth together._

_John tried to use his biotic powers, reaching his arm out to shoot biotic energy, but nothing happened. Saren stopped a few meters away from John, laughing deviously, and aiming his pistol at the Commander. John tried to use his powers again, but to no effect. Saren then smirked, and pulled his weapon's trigger. A loud gunshot filled John's ears, and he lost his sight._

John jumped up in his bed, loudly screaming. A few seconds later, he found himself sitting on his bed, breathing heavily, and sweating like he'd have run a marathon. The human commander sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands. John slowly settled down his breathing, his heartbeat returning to normal rates. He then looked over to his nightstand, seeing the alarm clock resting on it. The time was 6:35 AM, which made John sigh in slight relief, he could quietly prepare for the day in his cabin, not having to worry about anyone disturbing him.

The young human then got up from his bed, slowly walking to the cabin's bathroom, having only his boxers on.

**An hour later…**

Having prepared for the day, John was now sitting in front of his desk, surfing around the extranet on his personal computer. He browsed through several news articles, found in one of the many news networks in the web. John read about the kidnapping of an Alliance admiral in Moscow, as well as about several attacks by geth forces in the Terminus Systems.

As he was looking through other news, an incoming call through a messaging software got his attention. John accepted the call, bringing up the video transmission on his screen. He could see Jane, sitting in her office on the Citadel. His younger sister smiled, as she saw John through the transmission.

"Hey, Johnny. How's it going?" Jane asked with a happy voice. Seeing his dear sister made John smile widely, his day got a bit better now.

"I'm doing good, sis. Maybe a bit groggy… I haven't slept too well for the past few days, but let's not talk about that… what's up?" He asked with a small smile. Jane seemingly went through a couple papers on her desk, before answering her brother.

"Have you heard about the kidnapping of Admiral Kahoku the other day?" The young Alliance intelligence officer asked, looking through the file of that incident. John nodded his head, leaning back a bit on his seat.

"Yeah, I just read about it. Apparently, it was done by some human terrorist group, or something." He answered, crossing his arms over his chest. Jane hummed quietly to that.

"Not just any terrorist group… it was done by Cerberus." She explained, making John raise his eyebrows.

"Why would they kidnap an Alliance admiral…?" The young commander wondered, to which Jane shrugged her shoulders.

"Your question is as good as mine, Johnny. But beside that, the Alliance is preparing to raid their base, where they believe Kahoku is being held. Anderson thought that I should tell you this, in case you want to be part of the operation." Jane said, to which John stroked his chin a bit, nodding his head.

"I'm always up to helping the Alliance… but how did they find out where Cerberus' base is located?" The young commander asked. Jane looked through another file quickly, before answering.

"A small town colonist from the planet Binthu contacted the Alliance, telling them that Cerberus has a major base on the planet. I guess he was believable enough, since the Alliance is sending a small task force to take the base out, and hopefully rescue Admiral Kahoku." She explained. John bit his lip a bit, and nodded, stroking his small stubble.

"Alright, send the planet's coordinates to Joker; we'll head there right away." He said to his sister, who laughed a bit.

"I wonder if Jeff will be surprised to see me, he's kinda cute, you know." The young officer said, to which John laughed a bit too.

"Don't tell him that, sis, I don't think Joker is good with ladies." He said jokingly, to which Jane laughed.

"I'll take your word on that, brother. See you later, Johnny. Oh and how's Tali? Have you guys snuggled yet? I'm quite sure both of you want snuggles." She said, winking her eye at John. The young commander could feel his face get red, making him scratch his neck a bit.

"Uuh… I dunno what you're talking about, sis. Bye." John said quickly, and closed off the call, seeing Jane roll her eyes, while smiling widely, as the transmission ended.

Sighing a bit, John closed off the computer as well, getting up from his seat. A few moments later, Joker's voice suddenly came through the ship's intercom.

"Well, what do you know, Commander! You actually are too lazy to tell me to head for Binthu yourself, so you get Jane to do it. Good times, really." The sarcastic pilot said, to which John rolled his eyes.

"Eat your head, Joker… just get us there." The Commander said, heading out his cabin. Joker laughed a bit in the intercom.

"Yes sir, Commander sir." The pilot said, while laughing.

**Two hours later…**

The elevator door to the cargo deck opened, allowing John and a couple of Normandy's crew to enter the large room. John could see Ashley and Garrus preparing next to the armory lockers, putting on their armors, and checking their weapons.

The young Spectre decided to join his comrades, walking to them, and grabbing an M-8 Avenger from one of the lockers. Garrus glanced over to John, as the Commander checked through the weapon he had just picked.

"I hear we're taking out some human terrorists." The turian C-Sec officer said, putting his last armor piece in place. John nodded silently, looking through the Avenger's scope.

"Yeah, they're an organization called Cerberus. They kidnapped an Alliance admiral a few days ago, and we're hoping to rescue him, as well as take out Cerberus' base on Binthu." The Commander explained, to which Ashley hummed quietly.

"Will we take prisoners this time, or let them go?" The young Sergeant asked sarcastically, which took John off guard. The young commander looked at his comrade with a surprised look.

"What do you mean, Ash?" John asked, to which Ashley shook her head a bit, standing up from the armory box she had sat on.

"I'm talking about what happened with Balak, Skipper… we shouldn't have let him go." The young woman said in a slightly annoyed voice. Garrus nodded.

"I agree with her, Commander… we should have killed him there, not give him the chance to escape." The turian officer said. John felt uncomfortable; his subordinates hadn't ever questioned his leadership and orders before. The young commander put away the assault rifle, looking at the two soldiers. Kaidan walked to the group as well, having equipped himself elsewhere.

"I did what I did in order to ensure the hostages' safety. And Balak betrayed his word, and I tried to capture him… or even kill him, but I wasn't able to do so." John explained, even though he felt that he shouldn't need to explain his actions to his subordinates.

"You shouldn't have given him that chance in the first place, Shepard… if we'd have killed Balak there, he wouldn't be able to continue his work anymore." Garrus objected, to which Kaidan raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah… if we'd have killed Balak, we wouldn't have to deal with him later, which will happen… you made a mistake letting him go." Ash said, agreeing with Garrus. Kaidan lifted his hands a bit, and slightly got in front of John.

"Hold on, you two. You can't blame the Commander for making a decision like that. John saved those hostages, we saved those hostages. So what if Balak got away? We stopped his attack, and saved the hostages he had taken… John shouldn't be hearing complaints from you about that!" The young Lieutenant said, defending his N7 friend. Garrus' mandibles moved quite radically, and Ash bit her lip.

"Look, we understand that it was a good thing… but sometimes… maybe sacrifices should be made, in order to save even more people." The female Sergeant said, to which Garrus nodded.

"Yes… we didn't want to question your orders on saving the hostages, Shepard… just that Balak maybe should have been apprehended, regardless of few casualties" He explained. John nodded, looking at the two soldiers.

"I get you, but I made my decision, and it stands. Now… get ready, you three, I'll go get Wrex and Tali, they'll be coming too." John said, turning around to head towards the engineering bay and the drive core. Ash huffed a bit.

"Liara's not coming, Skipper?" She asked in a slightly sarcastic voice. John shook his head, and quickly glanced at Ash.

"No, she'll be staying at her quarters, researching our findings. Now simmer down, all of you… we'll be heading out soon." The Commander said, and walked away from the three.

"Yes sir!" The three soldiers said in unison.

**20 minutes later…**

Pushing the thick cloud layers away, the Normandy entered Binthu's atmosphere. The advanced Alliance frigate decreased its speed drastically, as it approached the terrestrial planet's surface.

Inside the cockpit, John stood behind Joker's seat, placing the final pieces of his N7 armor in place. The rest of his squad was waiting beside the door to the airlock.

"Alliance chatter says that SSV Istanbul is positioned in orbit, and that two frigates are bombarding the Cerberus base." Joker explained, pushing a couple of buttons on the dashboard in front of him. John crossed his arms over his chest, having put the final piece of his armor in place.

"Any word on whether they'll send in ground forces?" The Commander asked. Joker nodded, swiping aside a few holographic windows.

"Yes, they've sent in five squads to combat the Cerberus forces, and to assault the base's inside. They're expecting you at the base's courtyard, Commander." The pilot explained, to which John nodded, patting the back his seat.

"Alright, set us down at the courtyard then, Jeff. Keep the Normandy nearby, though, just in case we'll need a quick evac." The young Spectre said, turning around, and walking to the nearby airlock, moving past his squadmates, who were waiting for orders.

"Roger that, Commander." Joker chimed from the cockpit, now steering the Normandy towards its destination.

**Few moments later…**

The burning outer buildings in the Cerberus' base's courtyard had their smoking statues pushed aside, as the Normandy touched down on the ground. Groups of Alliance soldiers marched in the area, having had secured the entrance to the base.

John and his team exited the Normandy, moving outside from the airlock, and jumping down to the ground. A few Alliance soldiers approached them, as they had exited the ship. The Normandy quickly ascended up from the ground again, pushing itself away from the area. The Alliance soldiers approaching John stopped a few meters away from him, saluting the young Commander.

"Commander Shepard, greetings. Staff Lieutenant Preston Waylie, at your service." The man in the centre of the group said, saluting John. John saluted back quickly, nodding his head.

"At ease, Lieutenant. Bring me up to speed on the situation here." The Commander said, putting his hands behind his back. Waylie nodded, and did the same.

"Our strike teams have secured the entrance to the base. We've encountered some resistance from Cerberus, but not as stiff as we expected. I suspect this isn't their central base of operations, but they still defend it strongly." The Lieutenant explained. John nodded, and looked around a bit, seeing several Alliance soldiers rush in to the base.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, I'll enter the base with my team and secure it with our forces, you keep your men safe, no reason for us to lose any of our guys to Cerberus." The young Commander said, to which Waylie nodded, saluting John quickly, and then walking away to see to his men.

John then turned to his squad, signaling them to follow him.

"Come on; let's go see what Cerberus has in store for us." He said, taking the M-8 Avenger assault rifle from his back. Ash and Kaidan saluted him quickly, and the others simply nodded.

The six headed team then walked towards the base's entrance, having their weapons at the ready.

**10 minutes later…**

The base's interiors were filled with gunshots and small fires. John walked in front of his team, constantly looking around, but so far, they had only encountered dead soldiers, as well as surrendering Cerberus troops, who the Alliance forces took away.

"This is boring, I want to shoot something." Wrex said in a frustrated voice, looking at some of the dead Cerberus personnel around them.

"Why don't you go run off to find something to shoot at then?" Garrus asked, glancing at the krogan warlord. Wrex's eyes widened.

"Can I? Shepard, can I?" He asked, as if he was a small kid inside a candystore. John, Ash and Kaidan all looked at the old krogan warlord with their eyebrows lifted. Tali looked at Wrex in the same way, though her face couldn't be seen behind the helmet.

"Are you serious, Wrex? We can't have you run around shooting your gun, there are Alliance soldiers here." John explained, to which the krogan soldier sighed.

"Boring, I should have stayed on the Normandy…" Wrex said quietly, to which Tali shook her head a bit, although smiling behind her helmet.

A few minutes later, the team arrived to a small room, which had a closed door at the other side of it. As John approached the door, he could hear two gunshots inside. Signaling his squadmates to ready themselves, the young Commander opened the door, rushing inside with his weapon at the ready.

John, Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus found themselves aiming their weapons at a single man, who held an M-3 Predator pistol at them. The man was rugged, and had a few bruises on his face. John glanced around the room, seeing two killed Cerberus personnel on the floor.

"Who are you? What is going on?" The man asked with a loud voice, waving the pistol at John and his men. Wrex chuckled a bit, walking next to the three, having his shotgun at the ready as well.

"Finally, I can shoot someone." The krogan said with a smirk. John held his hand up a bit.

"Hold on, Wrex…" He said to the krogan, who sighed a bit, and lowered his shotgun. John then looked back at the rugged man.

"We're with the Alliance; I am Commander Shepard, a Spectre working for the Council. Who are you?" The young Spectre asked the man, whose jaw suddenly dropped. The man looked at John with wide eyes, as if he had seen a ghost.

"What…. Is it you… John?" The man asked quietly. John raised his eyebrow, seeing the man look oddly familiar.

"Who are you…?" He asked the man again, getting a bit suspicious. He had a thought in his mind, but it couldn't be true… could it?

"Johnny… my God, it is you!" The man said loudly, abruptly dropping the pistol on the ground. John's team looked at each other, raising their eyebrows. John's heart jumped to his throat now, and he lowered his rifle.

"….Alan..?" He asked quietly, his heart racing inside his chest. The roughed up man nodded his head, smiling.

"Yes, little brother, it's me!" The man said in a happy voice. John stared at his newfound brother, while his team looked at each other with surprised faces.

"Now this is a twist." Wrex said, chuckling a bit.

As Kaidan, Ash and Garrus backed down a bit, lowering their weapons, John took a few steps towards Alan. He looked at the rugged man long, not believing his eyes. He had thought Alan was dead, but now that he was looking at him, John knew for certain, that it was Alan for sure.

"Alan… I… I thought you were dead." The young Commander said quietly, still not believing what was happening. Alan smiled, and picked up the Predator pistol from the ground, placing it on his hip.

"I nearly was, little brother… Cerberus held me as a prisoner here for months." He explained, scratching the back of his head.

"But… where have you been all these years? Why didn't you contact me or Jane?" John asked, his voice sounding slight anger. Alan sighed a bit to that, biting his lip.

"I've been working as a mercenary for years now, John… I didn't want to mess up your and Jane's life… you deserved to be happy without knowing what your deadbeat brother was doing…" The man explained, to John's slight frustration.

"That's no excuse, Alan! You abandoned us when we were just teens! You think we would have shunned you for telling us that you were alive!?" John asked in a loud voice, clenching his teeth together. Alan sighed again, looking at his brother.

"I… I don't know, John. I've fucked up so many times; I didn't want to mess up even more by just popping into your life again, after abandoning you." He explained quietly, looking down on the floor.

John had so many questions, so much he needed to talk about with his brother, but there just wasn't enough time. Suddenly, another door in the room opened, and a Cerberus officer walked through it. The man quickly saw the people in the room, and tried reaching down to his hip. Alan quickly grabbed the pistol from his waist, and fired it two times at the man. The Cerberus officer had his mouth open, looking at Alan, who had just shot him. The man then fell on the floor, blood pouring out of his two wounds.

"What the hell did you just do, Alan?!" John demanded loudly, to which Alan simply put his pistol away.

"That was Carston, a complete piece of shit. He was the one, who kept me imprisoned here… trust me, I did us all a favor just now." The bruised man said, to which John held his finger up, to say something, but a voice coming through his commlink stopped him.

"Commander Shepard, respond." Lieutenant Waylie's voice said through the comms. John sighed, and opened the comm. system.

"Shepard here." He said plainly.

"Sir, I think you should come to the main laboratories… we… we found Admiral Kahoku…" The Lieutenant said through the speaker. John didn't like the sound of that, but he nodded.

"Roger, we'll head there now." He said, shutting down the transmission. John then looked back and forth between Alan and his team.

"Come on, let's go. You too, Alan… we'll take you back to the Citadel after all this." The young Spectre said, signaling his team to follow him, as he made his way out of the room.

**...**

The door to the base's main labs opened, letting John and his team enter it. The young Commander could see many Alliance soldiers standing around the room, Lieutenant Waylie and several other soldiers stood around a chair, where the dead body of Admiral Kahoku sat still. John sighed deeply, as he walked to the young Lieutenant, who looked at the body of Kahoku with sad eyes.

"God damn it… we're too late…" John said quietly, to which Lieutenant Waylie nodded, sighing a bit.

"It looks like Cerberus questioned him, torturing him even… see his wounds and bruises… he most likely died from internal hemorrhage…" The Lieutenant said, pointing at the various wounds Kahoku's body had. John nodded quietly, stroking his chin.

"We'll secure a proper funeral for him. Get your medical officers, Lieutenant; have them take Admiral Kahoku, and all our dead to a morgue." The Spectre ordered, turning around to leave the area. Waylie nodded and saluted him, before signaling his men to do as ordered.

"Come on; let's get out of here…" John said to his team, wanting to get as far away from this place as possible.

**Several hours later…**

Back on the Normandy, John stood in his cabin, leaning on the wall, as Alan sat down on his chair in front of the desk. The young Spectre crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his brother, who had just seen Dr. Chakwas to get help for his wounds.

"Didn't know you had your very own ship, brother… you're doing pretty well in the world." Alan said, looking around the small comfortable cabin. John silently nodded, still staring at his brother.

"I'm the first human Spectre, Alan… Captain Anderson thought it'd be fitting for me to get the most advanced Alliance ship for use." He answered. Alan nodded, whistling a bit.

"Well, I've got to hand it to ya, John, you've definitely moved up in the world a lot." The man said, getting up from the chair.

"I think I'll look around the ship a bit, if you don't mind, Johnny." Alan said, stretching his arms a bit. John was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Sure, Alan; it'll be a while before we're at the Citadel, so take a look around." He said, walking past his brother, patting his shoulder a bit. Alan bit his lip a bit, and nodded, walking out the room.

"Right, see you, brother…" The older brother said, walking through the door, and closing it behind him.

John sighed after his brother had left the room, walking to his chair, and sitting down. He still wasn't sure what to think of seeing his long lost older brother again.

**...**

A sudden knock on the door woke John up from his short daydream. The young commander got up from the chair, and walked to the door, opening it. Tali was waiting behind, immediately smiling behind her helmet, as she saw John. John suddenly felt much better as well, seeing the cute quarian in front of him.

"Hi, John. I… I thought that maybe you'd want to talk." The young woman said, fiddling her fingers a bit. John could feel his face fluster just a bit, and he smilingly nodded.

"Sure, absolutely… come on in." He said happily, allowing Tali to enter his cabin.

A few moments later, the two were sitting on the cabin's couch, a bit nervously looking at each other, while smiling widely.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" John asked his cute friend, who smiled behind her helmet.

"Well… I never knew that you had an older brother, so I thought that maybe you'd want to talk about that." She said innocently. John's smile faded a bit, and he bit his lip.

"I'm not sure if there's much to tell, Tali. Alan took care of me and Jane for five years, before he vanished, abandoning us. Until now, I had thought that he was dead, killed in a shootout or something…" The young man explained, leaning back on the couch a bit. Tali nodded in understanding.

"I understand… it must've been hard." The young quarian said, moving slightly closer to John, who sighed a bit.

"Yeah… I had to take care of myself and Jane then alone." He answered, stroking his chin a bit. Tali bit her lip behind her helmet, and moved a bit closer to John again.

"Well, I'd say nice things came from it too… I mean… we met for the first time then too." She said in a tender voice, biting her lip more, and looking into John's eyes, who looked back at hers.

"Uh… yeah… I'd say so too, Tali…" The young Spectre answered quietly, becoming entranced by the quarian's glowing silver eyes. The two of them got closer to each other, their eyes locked. Joker's voice suddenly came through the intercom system, ruining the moment John and Tali were having.

"Commander, Admiral Hackett is requesting a report on the Cerberus issue." The pilot said through the intercom. John closed his eyes, and sighed quietly, leaning back from Tali a bit.

"Can it wait, Joker?" The commander asked, leaning back on the couch. Joker was silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Well, I'd say it can't, sir… the admiral wants a report immediately, since an Alliance admiral was found dead." The Normandy's pilot explained, to which John sighed again, stroking his forehead. Tali backed away a bit too, feeling sad that the moment couldn't proceed further, but also relief, since her heart was racing inside her chest.

"Fine, I'll go right away." John said, after which Joker closed off the transmission.

The two then stood up from the couch, and walked towards the cabin's door. Tali nervously bit her lip, but gently touched John's hand with her own. That small gesture of affection made John's face flush, his heart race. It was a moment he too wanted to last longer, but it seemed fate had other plans for now.

The two lovers to be left the cabin, John smiling at Tali for the last time, before leaving her to go report to Admiral Hackett. Alan was standing nearby in the mess hall. John's older brother looked on the two, seeing quite clearly, that they were close. That sight made Alan smile a bit; his brotherly attachment was coming back to him again. Suddenly though, Alan's smile faded, and he silently walked away.

**...**

Sitting in front of her desk, Ashley was cleaning an M-15 Vindicator assault rifle. As she took apart the weapon, her personal computer's screen suddenly light up. The Sergeant could see a young woman on the screen, and a wide smile formed on her face.

"Hey, sis!" The younger woman said with a happy voice. Ash dropped the weapon on the desk, and let out a quiet squeal.

"Oh my God, Sarah! How's my favorite little sister doing?" She asked with a wide smile. Her young sister returned the smile.

"I'm actually doing great, Ash, my finals are going along nicely. But how about you, sis? Everyone back home knows about you being on the Normandy, and working alongside Commander Shepard." Sarah asked, clearly being curious about her sister's doings. Ash laughed a bit, putting the assault rifle she was cleaning aside.

"Well, what's there to tell? I'm sure news stories back home give some clue to you on what I'm working on." The young Sergeant said, to which Sarah rolled her eyes a bit.

"Come on, sis, you know what I wanna know. How's the Commander? He's freaking hot, don't tell me you've hooked up with him." The young woman asked, winking her eye at Ash, who laughed.

"Don't worry, Sarah, I haven't done anything like that with him. But you are right, he is pretty hot; I guess I'm lucky to be in his squad, eh?" She said, winking her eye back at Sarah, who smirked.

"Auh, you always get the good ones, sis." The younger sister said jokingly. Ash nodded, as she laughed.

"Well, we'll see what happens. For now, I'll continue working as normal. Look, Sarah, I need to go now, please tell the family my regards, I miss you all." She said, smiling. Sarah smiled back, and nodded.

"Sure, Ash. Be careful out there, alright? We want to have you back home for Christmas. Bye, sis, God bless you." The younger sister said, waving a bit to Ash, who sent a kiss to her.

"You too, sis. Bye." Ash said, smiling and closing off the transmission.

The young Sergeant then leaned back on her seat, looking to grab the rifle again, in order to continue what she was doing before.

"My brother seems to be quite popular now." A man's voice said behind her. Ash turned around, and saw Alan standing behind her. The woman turned around on her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." She said, her face steady. Alan raised his eyebrow a bit, crossing his arms as well.

"I guess, though I think this proves that he's done well for himself even without me." The man answered. Ash huffed quietly, staring at Alan with a stale face.

"Sure, but that doesn't make it any better, that you abandoned him and your sister years ago." She said, to which Alan sighed a bit.

"I know… but it was best this way." He said, trying to defend himself. Ash didn't buy that, and instead, got up from her seat, walking past Alan.

"Whatever, just between you and me, you ain't fooling me, Alan. I can see past your bullshit. You don't care for John, or your sister… you're just a selfish, good for nothing deadbeat." The young Sergeant said, frowning her face. Alan clenched his teeth together inside his mouth.

"Noted…" He answered, to which Ash simply huffed silently, and walked away from him.

After the young sergeant had left, Alan bit his lip, not being exactly sure what to think. He then simply headed towards the elevator, to continue his tour of the Normandy.

**Hours later…**

The time was 1:32 AM; most of the Normandy's crew had retired to sleep. The ship was closing in on the Citadel, though Joker had brought the ship to a halt for the night.

Alan slowly walked through the ship's crew deck, heading towards the escape pod hallway. The rough looking man looked around his surroundings, not seeing anyone in the immediate vicinity. He then walked towards an escape pod, proceeding to open up its hatch. Suddenly, a voice startled him a bit. He turned around, and saw Tali standing a few meters away from him.

"Alan? What are you doing here?" The young quarian asked, being a bit suspicious. Alan clenched his teeth together a bit, looking around nervously.

"Aah… Tali, was it? I uhh… I need to go, to tell the truth…" The man said, taking a step towards the escape pod. Tali glanced at him with a surprised look behind her helmet.

"What? But… you just reunited with John… don't you want to see your sister too on the Citadel?" She asked, not understand what Alan was doing.

"Right, well… the truth is, Tali… I'm not a good person. I'm sure you've got that by now already, but I digress, I need to go." The man said, turning towards the escape pod, activating a console that opened the hatch to the pod. Tali looked around herself, noticing John's cabin door open, and the Commander walking out.

"Look, I see that you and John are close… please believe me, that I only want what's best for him. And what's best for him right now is that I'm not part of his life." Alan explained, putting his left foot into the escape pod. Tali glanced at John again, seeing him noticing her, and starting to walk towards her. She then glanced back at Alan.

"Wait, Alan… you don't need to do this. I know that John would want nothing but to have his brother back. You say it's best if you're not part of his life, but I know otherwise. Please… don't destroy him again, he deserves happiness." The young woman pleaded, to which Alan sighed deeply.

"He does, and I'm giving it to him. Look out for him; you two make a good pair. Goodbye…" The man said quietly, stepping inside the escape pod, and closing the hatch. Tali sighed deeply after that, her shoulders dropping down.

"Hey hey there." John said playfully, as he arrived next to Tali, who looked down on the ground. A loud voice was heard, and John raised his eyebrows, looking at the escape pods.

"Did an escape pod just jettison itself?" The young Commander asked suspiciously. Tali looked at him, her eyes glowing silver.

"It's Alan, John… I'm sorry." She said quietly, to which John's face turned sour. As he looked at the escape pods in disbelief, loud noises of people approaching got his attention. As he turned around, John could see Kaidan and security guard Rogers approach him, assault rifles in their hands.

"John, we've got a problem, where's your brother?" Kaidan asked, looking around. John raised his eyebrow a bit.

"He just left with an escape pod…" He said quietly, to which Kaidan bit his lip.

"Damn! John, he's not what he said he was; we need to catch him!" The young Lieutenant said. John frowned a bit; he trusted Kaidan, and if he said that Alan needed to be captured, he'd believe it.

"Joker! An escape pod jettisoned just now, remotely deactivate it, now!" The Commander said loudly to the intercom.

"Already tried, Commander. Something's blocking the signal, I can't deactivate the pod." The pilot said, making John clench his teeth together. Alan had gotten away.

"God damn it… well, it makes no difference. John, you need to see something the Alliance teams found at the Cerberus base." Kaidan said, putting the rifle away. John sighed deeply, and nodded.

"Okay, show me…" He said quietly, following Kaidan away from the escape pods. Tali followed them too, her face filled with sadness behind her helmet.

**...**

John sat on his seat in the conference room, his team and Joker sitting around him as well. They all had their eyes on the holographic screen, which had a video of security footage running on it. The footage had Alan in it, being in the room they found him in, with two Cerberus officers. Sounds of gunfire and explosions were also heard, which made the people in the footage jumpy.

_"What do we do, Shepard? We're so fucked, the Alliance will kill us." One of the Cerberus personnel said, looking around frantically. Alan looked around as well, clearly trying to think of a solution._

_"Shut up, will you? I'm trying to think…" The man said. The other Cerberus officer didn't like that._

_"Oh, great… take your time, Shepard! It's not like the Alliance is just behind that door!" The man said with a scared and frantic voice. Alan clenched his teeth together a bit, and then suddenly turned to the wall, and hit his face against it a few times._

_"What the hell are you doing!?" The other Cerberus officer asked. After bruising his face, Alan turned back to them._

_"Creating a ruse." The man said. The two Cerberus officers quickly glanced at each other, before staring at Alan again._

_"Okay, what do we two do then?" One of the men asked. Alan huffed quietly, grabbing his Predator pistol from his hip._

_"You help me out." Alan said plainly, and suddenly aimed the pistol at the men, shooting them dead._ John frowned deeply as he saw that, stroking his chin. After Alan had done the blood work, the room's door opened, and John came in with his team, after which the video footage ended.

John sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands. Ash scoffed quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I fuckin' knew it! I knew he was a hack." The Sergeant said angrily, to which Kaidan nodded to.

"Have to agree with that, chief…" He said quietly, crossing his arms as well. Tali on the other hand glanced at John, looking at her crush with sad eyes. She could see how much pain the young man was in; he had lost his brother again, in a betrayal nonetheless.

"Too bad he got away now… I'm sure Alliance would've had a field day interrogating him." Joker said, leaning back on his chair.

"Who cares? He's a traitor, let's just kill him…" Wrex said, shrugging his shoulders. Garrus scoffed at the krogan for that.

"The Commander cares, Wrex… it his own brother." The turian officer said, frowning a bit at the krogan warlord, who simply shrugged his shoulders again.

"I have a brother too, hate him and he hates me." Wrex explained, though Garrus still shook his head in slight shame. John sighed again, lifting his hand up a bit.

"It's fine, people… let's just… let's just forget about this." The young Spectre said, getting up from his chair. Tali tried to reach out to him, but John walked towards the door.

"Let's get some sleep; we'll head to the Citadel tomorrow. Goodnight, guys…" John said, walking out the conference room. His team stayed sitting there for a moment.

"Well… that was awkward…" Joker said quietly, getting up from his chair. All the others got up as well, heading out the room.

Tali sighed deeply, getting up too, but holding her head down. She wanted nothing but to just go and curl into John's arms, or close him in hers. She didn't like it, she had fallen for John so much, and it distracted her. But at the same time, it was the most incredible feeling she had ever felt.

**...**

Inside the small escape pod, Alan silently sat on the central seat. The man sighed a bit, clicking several buttons on the pod's dashboard. Suddenly, a video transmission came through the dashboard's screen. Nothing could really be seen in the transmission, other than a dark figure, sitting on a dark chair. The figure was a humanoid, wearing a dark suit, and two blue glowing eyes could be made out of it. Alan swallowed a bit, as he saw the figure.

"Yes?" The man shrouded in darkness asked. Alan bit his lip a bit.

"I suppose you heard what happened on Binthu." He said, to which the man nodded.

"I did, yes. You blacked out on me for a time, though… where were you, Alan?" The man asked, after which Alan was silent for a moment.

"I actually ran into my brother, sir… he brought me to his ship, I just escaped with an escape pod." He explained, to which the dark man was quiet for a bit, puffing out smoke from a cigarette.

"I'm surprised Commander Shepard was part of it… I trust he was quite surprised with being reunited with you." The man said, exhaling the smoke. Alan bit his lip again, nodding a bit.

"He was… I feel bad abandoning him again…" He said quietly, looking down.

"You're doing the right thing, Alan… never doubt that. John Shepard likely doesn't accept your work, not many in the Alliance do, but you're protecting humanity, Alan… and that is a commitment more important than anything." The man explained, to which Alan nodded in understanding.

"Yes, of course, sir…" He said quietly. The man puffed on his cigarette again, exhaling the smoke afterwards.

"Good, now… come back to Cronos Station… I'll fill you in of your next mission." The man said, putting out his cigarette. Alan nodded.

"Yes sir." He answered, after which the dark man closed off the transmission.

After that, Alan sighed, pressing more buttons on the dashboard, figuring out how to reach his destination now. He was part of Cerberus, an infamous organization, but one that usually looked after their own, even if it was ready to sacrifice them for the good of humanity.

****Hey, guys, long time no see. **

**I'm sure you're all wondering why it took me this long to make this chapter. Long story short, my girlfriend left me, and I was a complete wreck after it. I'm still not over it, but I'm at least trying. **

**That being said, I do feel like my writing in this chapter was not as good as I'd like… I guess it all is so negatively affecting for me, so that my performance suffers from it.**

**Now, about the chapter, I hope you all liked Alan, and his introduction to the story. I guess it's kinda clichéd to have the older brother be a "villain", but hopefully I'll be able to make the best out of it. **

**I know, Binthu was a dead planet in the game, but a terrestrial one in this. I simply wanted to include that first attack scene, and this was the best way to do it.**

**Also, I hope you enjoy the Tali bits as well, because that's what we Talimancers love, lot's of Tali scenes, especially TalixShepard fluff. **

**Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one will be awesome, and dramatic, and I think most of you can guess what. Regardless, it'll be better than this, I promise.**

**Have a good one guys, I try my best not to fall into complete depression again. But anyway, take care guys!****


	15. Chapter 14: Sacrifice on Virmire

**Chapter 14: Sacrifice on Virmire**

Loud sounds of gunfire echoed in a small bunker. A door slid open, and a turian shot full of holes fell on the floor through it. Several armed human soldiers entered the room, their weapons drawn. A terrified salarian man backed away, pressing himself against the room's wall. The soldiers had their weapons aimed at the scared salarian, being ready to shoot him as well. Two other humans walked through the door into the room, one of them having a few bandages wrapped around his body. The two men stopped a few meters away from the salarian.

"Anoleis…" The bandaged man said quietly, his face full of despise and anger. The salarian's face showed even more terror now.

"Rockwell? My goodness… how… how are you alive?" Administrator Anoleis asked, his heart racing in his small chest. The bandaged Rockwell took a step towards the salarian, squeezing his hands into fists.

"Surprised, asshole? You slimy piece of shit have come to the end of the line… it's all over now." The angry human said, grabbing a Shuriken pistol from his waist. Anoleis held his hands up, trying to keep Rockwell from killing him.

"Wait, wait… don't do this, Rockwell… I… I was scared; I had to make a deal with Saren! I had no choice!" The salarian tried explaining, but to no avail. Rockwell aimed his pistol at the squirmy administrator, his eyes filled with rage.

"Oh you made a choice, Anoleis… and now you're paying for it." The man said, shooting Anoleis several times in rage. The salarian coughed up green blood, slowly dropping on the ground. After Anoleis had died, the man who had arrived into the room with Rockwell, walked next to the enraged man.

"Well, now he's dead. I hope this has brought some closure to you, Mr. Rockwell. I also hope you have reconsidered my offer. Our cause could use someone like you." The man said, to which Rockwell sighed a bit, and nodded.

"I accept your offer… for the sake of my men, all the people I lost on Noveria. I'll work for your Cerberus, to protect humanity." The broken Alliance Captain said, shaking hands with the Cerberus officer.

And so the deal had been made, Rockwell was now part of Cerberus, feeling that he owed them for bringing him to Anoleis, in order to exact revenge on the traitorous salarian. The team of human soldiers then left the bunker, heading towards Kodiak attack shuttles they had arrived on.

**...**

John couldn't sleep, his mind wouldn't stop distracting him. All he could think, was the reveal of who Alan truly was. He had just met his brother after 12 years, and before he could even get to know Alan again, he had escaped, after being revealed as a Cerberus agent. John just couldn't believe it, his own brother was with an infamous organization. He thought he knew Alan, but clearly, he was wrong.

The time was now 3:16 AM, John was sitting in the Normandy's mess hall. He sat at a dining table, having his hands around a cup of tea. John had picked up the habit of drinking tea from his time of living in London, during his Alliance training. He felt that drinking tea calmed him, kept his mind eased.

Taking a sip of his warm tea, John sighed a bit, putting the cup down on the table. Then suddenly he heard a noise nearby. As he turned his head, John could see one of the sleeping pods in the nearby hallway turn itself upwards, opening up.

The young Spectre could see Tali's slender figure get out of the pod, stretching her arms a bit. John couldn't but smile a bit, as he saw the beautiful quarian. He couldn't but wonder though, why Tali was being awake at this hour.

The young quarian saw her close human friend sitting at the table, and made her way over to him.

"Hey, John. What are you doing this late?" Tali asked as she sat down opposite of John. The young human smiled a bit, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, just spending some quiet time, sipping my tea. But I could ask you the same question, you should be sleeping." John said quietly, to which Tali nodded, but sighed a bit.

"I couldn't sleep. The Normandy runs so quietly, so smoothly, it is hard to fall asleep." The young quarian explained. John raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's too quiet to sleep?" The Commander asked quietly. Tali nodded, smiling a bit sheepishly behind her helmet.

"Yes... uh, well, it's because I've gotten so used to living on the Migrant Fleet. On my home ship, the Rayya, the last thing you want to hear is silence. Silence usually means that an air ventilation system has been broken, or an engine has failed. The Normandy however is so new, so flawless, it's almost nerve-racking to not hear anything but a low hum." She explained, fiddling with her fingers a bit. John smiled a bit, he had no idea Tali would have difficulties sleeping for that kind of reason.

"Well, I'm sure Joker wouldn't like to break Normandy so that more sounds would be heard, Tali." The young Spectre joked, which made Tali laugh a bit.

"It's okay, I'll manage, John. I always do." The quarian said, smiling a bit behind her helmet. John smiled too, and suddenly gently touched Tali's hand, looking into her eyes.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help in that, just let me know." He said quietly, smiling a reassuring smile.

Tali's heart was racing, she didn't know whether to jump into John's arms and throw her helmet away, so she could feel his lips on hers, or to simply squeeze his warm hand. She chose the second option, squeezing John's hand, while looking into his brown eyes.

"Well... actually... I noticed that your cabin is slightly louder than other parts of the ship, excluding the drive core." The young quarian said quietly, softly running her finger on John's hand. The Commander's heart jumped a bit too now, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Yes... what about it...?" John asked quietly, stuttering a bit. He really had no idea what Tali was suggesting, but he couldn't lie that it didn't make him a bit excited. Tali seemed extremely nervous, blushing behind her helmet.

"Oh... nothing, it's okay." She said softly, looking away a bit, trying to hide her blushing, even though her helmet did most of the work. John was silent for a moment that felt like forever for Tali. The Commander then smiled wider.

"Well, I just thought of an idea. Would you want to try to get some sleep in my bed? I mean, my cabin is louder than other parts of the ship, so... I just thought that maybe you'd want to try that, you should definitely get some sleep." John suggested in a quiet voice, scratching the back of his head. Tali's eyes widened, and she immediately looked down, being embarrassed and nervous.

"Oh... well... I... uhh... it's your bed... I wouldn't want to intrude like that." She stuttered quietly. John smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Nonsense, I'm not using it now anyway, it's more than okay for you to try get some sleep." He assured, smiling gently. Tali was quiet for a moment, not exactly being sure what to do.

"Well... okay... I... I guess I could try." She said almost inaudibly then. John then smiled widely, and got up from his seat, having the cup of tea in his hands.

"Great, come on." The human said, gesturing Tali to follow him. Tali got up from her seat, and walked behind John, nervously fiddling with her fingers.

The two arrived in John's cabin, Tali's heart rate increasing with every step. John put down his cup of tea on the couch table, and then walked to his bed, making it ready. Tali still fiddled with her fingers, her heart racing.

"John... I... my suit must be dirty, I don't want to mess up your bed." She stuttered, to which John shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Tali, it's completely fine. I insist that you sleep this night in my bed." He said reassuring, gesturing his quarian friend to sit down on the bed. Tali hesitantly walked to the bed, and sat down, still looking down on the floor, her cheeks feeling so warm.

"There you go, just get comfortable, and I'm sure you'll get a good night's sleep." John said and walked over to the couch, sitting on it. Tali leaned her heard to the side a bit, glancing at him.

"What will you do then?" She asked cautiously. John leaned back on the couch, taking a sip of his tea.

"I'll sit here and let you sleep, maybe I'll fall asleep at some point too. I can go too, if it's better for you." The young human said, getting ready to leave the room. Tali quickly held her hand up though.

"No. Stay, John." She said softly, to which John nodded while smiling. He then leaned back on the couch again, silently taking a sip on his drink. Tali quietly laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. She had no idea that the bed could be so soft.

"Goodnight, Tali." John said gently. Tali yawned quietly, and nodded.

"Goodnight, John." She answered softly.

For the next several minutes, John silently looked at Tali peacefully lying on the bed. He finished his tea, and set the cup on the table, after which he laid down on the couch, wanting to sleep as well. After half an hour or so, he finally fell asleep, having been awake for hours too long.

**Several hours later...**

John opened his eyes, raising his head up a bit from the couch's surface. The young man sat up, looking around his cabin. He could see that Tali wasn't sleeping on his bed anymore, and instead had woken up already, and left the cabin.

Groaning a bit, John stood up from the couch, stretching his arms. As he was about to leave the cabin, Joker's voice came through the intercom.

"Good morning, Commander. You're getting up quite late." The pilot said, to which John raised his eyebrow.

"You spy on me, Joker? How'd you know I just got up?" He asked. Joker chuckled a bit through the comms.

"Normandy's VI does, Commander; it notified me that you've awoken. But anyway, the Council just sent in a message; they've requested an audience with you. I'll patch them in at the conference room, whenever you're ready." The pilot said, closing the transmission. John sighed a bit, and nodded. He truly hoped that the Council would have new information on Saren; time was running out, and Saren would surely soon find the Conduit.

**Five minutes later...**

John stood in front of the three holograms of the Council. A hologram of Ambassador Udina was beside the three councilors.

"Commander Shepard, we hear that you successfully led an assault on a Cerberus base, and took it out." Councilor Sparatus said professionally. John nodded in acknowledgment.

"That is correct, Councilor; we took out one of their base of operations, it should scatter their forces in the area quite effectively." The Commander explained. Ambassador Udina nodded his head, stroking his chin a bit.

"Yes... with luck, they shouldn't be bothering us anymore. Well done, Shepard." Udina said, nodding his head in approval. Councilor Tevos nodded too, smiling at John.

"A job well done indeed, Commander. We have good news for you as well." The asari Councilor stated, putting her hands behind her back. Councilor Valern cleared his throat.

"Yes. One of our STG teams has located Saren. He's overseeing a research facility of some kind on the planet Virmire. The STG team has requested reinforcements, and we've deemed it appropriate, that you should go there for their aid, Commander." The salarian explained, having his arms crossed over his chest.

John's heart skipped a beat. Saren had been found; he'd now have the chance of capturing him, and ending this madness.

"Is the information good? Are we sure Saren is on Virmire?" He asked. Sparatus frowned a bit, his mandibles moving.

"Of course the information is good, Shepard. Our STG teams are reliable." The turian said. John nodded in acknowledgment.

"Understood, we'll head straight there." The Commander said, saluting the councilors, and Udina.

"Good luck, Commander." Tevos said, after which the four holograms disappeared. John then took a deep breath.

"Alright.. Joker! Set the coordinates for Virmire... we're gonna catch Saren today." He said towards the ship's many intercom microphones. Joker chuckled a bit.

"Right away, Commander, let's go get us a turian traitor." The pilot said. In the next moments, the Normandy set its sights at Virmire, jumping into FTL.

**Few hours later...**

Garrus sat on a box, next to the Mako, inspecting an M-97 Viper sniper rifle. The turian was deep in his thoughts, looking at the rifle, that he didn't see John approaching him.

"Anything wrong with the rifle?" The human Commander asked in a friendly manner, leaning against the Mako. Garrus quickly looked up to him, his mandibles moving a bit.

"Oh, well... no, it looks to be fine... I'm just... in my thoughts." The turian officer said quietly. John nodded, his curiosity rising.

"Alright, can I ask what's on your mind?" He asked plainly, to which Garrus answered with a nod.

"Sure. I've just been thinking about a case I had a couple of years ago, when I was with C-Sec." Garrus started, putting the sniper rifle away. He took a deep breath, and continued.

"I was looking into a series of kidnappings, that were happening all over the Citadel. Me and a few other officers followed the leads to a warehouse in the factory districts, and we discovered what had happened. A brutal and sadistic salarian doctor Saleon was behind the kidnappings, having been experimenting on his victims. The experiments were disgusting, I can't even describe them with words. Unfortunately, Saleon had escaped before we came to the scene..." The turian explained. John frowned a bit, understanding why Garrus would be distracted by such a memory.

"Was Saleon ever apprehended?" He asked quietly, to which Garrus shook his head in frustration.

"No... he disappeared. But I'm certain that he's still out there somewhere. One day, I will find that bastard, and make him pay for what he did to all those innocent people..." He said in determination. John agreed with Garrus' point, but held his hand up.

"Just be careful not to let that goal change you, Garrus. That doctor deserves to be punished, but you shouldn't take law into your own hands." John explained. Garrus nodded, but didn't seem sure.

"I know... but that is why I sometimes think I should have applied for Spectre training back then... Spectres can take the law into their own hands, and exact judgment on those who have wronged so many people." Garrus said. John looked at his turian companion for a moment.

"Do you think you'll possibly apply for that training after we take down Saren?" He asked. Garrus was quiet for a minute.

"Possibly... I don't know yet. Could I make it to become a Spectre in your opinion?" The turian officer asked, to which John smiled a little, and nodded.

"I'd say so, yeah. It's up to you in the end, Garrus, but if you think you'll be more comfortable with applying to become a Spectre, than being in C-Sec, you should definitely do it." The Commander said with an encouraging smile. Garrus smiled too now, standing up from his seat, and patting John on his shoulder.

"I think I will, Shepard. Thank you." The turian said happily. John smiled, and now patted Garrus' shoulder.

"Of course, Garrus, we're all in this together." John answered.

After that, Garrus made his way towards the weapon caches, where Ashley was preparing again. John clapped his hands together, taking a breath, and heading towards the elevator, to go prepare himself.

**30 minutes later...**

The Normandy flew into Virmire's atmosphere. The warm tropical planet's winds decreased the ship's speed, and a few moments later, Joker brought it back to level, and steered the frigate towards one of Virmire's many islands.

John walked inside the cargo hold, wearing his full N7 armor. Liara walked beside him, as they approached the cargo hold's boarding ramp. Ash, Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex and Tali were all waiting nearby, fully prepared for the mission.

"Are you sure it's correct, Liara? The Conduit is on Ilos?" The young Spectre asked, to which his asari friend nodded confidently.

"Yes, I'm certain. The Mu Relay leads to the Pangaea Expanse, Ilos is the only planet in the system, which has immense prothean ruins in it. Thousands of years ago, the asari had excavation sites all around Ilos, but with the supernova that effectively shrouded the relay from any scanners, it's almost impossible for me to locate it. But once we have the coordinates to it, we'll have a straight shot to Ilos, where the Conduit must be." She explained, to which John nodded.

"And Saren has the coordinates already... we really need to capture him today." He said determinately. Liara nodded in agreement, but bit her lip.

"Do you think Saren has been completely indoctrinated? Do you think he has no control over his actions anymore?" The asari scientist asked. John shrugged his shoulders, he really couldn't say.

"I don't know at this point anymore. I think that at first, he wanted power, and to destroy humanity, but now, Sovereign has manipulated him into thinking his saving the galaxy, or something. In the end, he's only helping the Reapers in their work." The young Commander said. Liara agreed, nodding her head.

"Yes, he's lost to them completely. We'll stop him, John." She said reassuringly.

As the two stopped a few meters from the boarding ramp, the rest of the team walked next to them. A few moments later, the Normandy trembled, as it touched down on the shallow waters of one of Virmire's many beaches. As the ship's engines shut down, Joker lowered the boarding ramp.

"Alright, today we'll capture Saren. Let's move, people!" The Commander said with a loud voice, starting to walk down the ramp, his team following. Joker's voice came though John's armor's commsystem.

"We're right on the STG's FOB, Commander. The salarian captain wishes to speak with you immediately... he didn't sound too happy." The pilot said, to which John frowned a bit, but nodded.

"Roger that, I'll see him now." The Commander said, closing off the transmission.

A few moments later, the team approached the STG's base, where several salarian soldiers waited for them. As they walked closer to the salarians, one of them walked forward, and John suspected him to be the captain.

"Commander Shepard, I'm surprised to see you here. Captain Kirrahe, at your service." The salarian said, as John walked in front of him. The young Commander did a small salute to the Captain.

"We're here for Saren. We heard he's in a research facility somewhere on Virmire." John explained, to which Kirrahe nodded.

"He is overseeing operations in the nearby facility to the east, we've planned an attack on it, but we should wait for the reinforcements first." The salarian said. John raised his eyebrows, and Kaidan beside him cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"...we are the reinforcements.." The Lieutenant said in slightly embarrassed voice. The salarian captain looked dumbfounded.

"What?! I requested a whole fleet. How could the Council not understand our message?" Kirrahe said. John shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess they couldn't make out the real message, they only understood that you need some reinforcements, and sent me." He explained, to which Kirrahe sighed in slight frustration.

"Teaches me not to use STG codewords with the Council. Well, no matter, we can initiate the attack with your help, Commander." The salarian said, putting his hands behind his back.

"You have a plan?" John asked. Kirrahe nodded with a slight smile.

"We can discuss the plan in a moment at the camp. You should hear what Saren is up to at the facility, though." He said, to which John raised his eyebrow questionably. Kirrahe took a quick breath.

"Saren has apparently synthesized the cure for the genophage. He's using it to clone krogan soldiers... very dangerous, and extremely worrisome." The salarian explained. Wrex's eyes widened, and he took a few steps forward, coming next to John.

"He has the cure for the genophage? How is that possible?" The krogan warlord asked, his face showing slight hope. Kirrahe frowned a bit, but answered.

"That we don't know. But it doesn't matter; a krogan horde under Saren's command would be disastrous, which is why we must destroy the facility." The Captain explained, but Wrex frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"But why not save the cure? Saren is trying to cure the genophage... it shouldn't be destroyed." Wrex argued, but Kirrahe didn't falter.

"Saren is using it to breed an army of krogan... it must not exist. The mistake of krogan uplifting nearly destroyed us all... it mustn't happen again." The salarian said back, to which Wrex's eyes widened. Outraged, the krogan got very close to the salarian, looking into his eyes.

"We are not a mistake!" Wrex said loudly, before storming off, pushing a salarian soldier aside, who was behind Kirrahe. John and Kirrahe both looked as Wrex walked away, the salarian turning towards him again.

"I hope your krogan friend isn't going to be a problem... this mission must succeed, if we wish to live in the future." Kirrahe said. John nodded, understanding.

"I'll take care of him, we should just prepare for the attack." He said professionally. Kirrahe nodded, and pointed towards the camp.

"Your team can prepare at our camp, we will do so as well. We'll move out in half an hour, so I expect you and your followers to be ready. Good luck with the krogan, Commander." The salarian said, turning around, and walking towards the camp. John sighed a bit, gesturing his team to follow him, as he made his way to the camp as well.

**Few minutes later...**

John walked around the salarian camp, having checked the surrounding area out. He walked to Kaidan and Ashley, who stood on the beach. The two Alliance soldiers turned their head towards their commanding officer.

"These salarians are too few. Even if they're specialists, they'll need our help battling the geth." Ash said, having her arms crossed. Kaidan shrugged his shoulders.

"They're STG, Ash; they're the best the salarians have to offer... I think they'll be fine, but we should still help them." The Lieutenant said.

"Don't worry, we'll help them." John said to the two, who nodded in understanding. Before anyone could say something else, a loud gunshot got their attention. They turned their heads towards the beach several meters away, seeing Wrex shoot his shotgun at the water.

"He looks pissed..." Kaidan said, to which Ash huffed a bit.

"Pfft, that's an understatement, Kaidan. Wrex might be very unpredictable now, Commander... be careful when you talk to him." She said to John who sighed a bit, and nodded.

"I'm sure he won't do anything stupid, Ash... but I'll be careful." He said, still looking at Wrex. John then silently started walking towards the angered krogan. Ash and Kaidan glanced at each other, the Sergeant grabbing her assault rifle.

As he approached Wrex, John walked past Garrus, who too looked at the krogan warlord cautiously. Tali stood a few meters further away, looking at Wrex too. As John walked past her, the young quarian grabbed his arm.

"John, wait. There's something you need to know about Wrex." She said quietly. John looked at her, raising his eyebrow.

"He's angry about the genophage cure, I can see that much." He said with a shrug. Tali shook her head, gently squeezing John's hand.

"It's not that... there's more. Wrex... he used to have a daughter, John... genophage killed her. I believe that is why he's so outraged right now..." She explained. John's eyes widened, and he silently nodded, understanding.

"I see. Well... I'll talk to him, see if I can persuade him to do the right thing." He said. Tali nodded, slightly smiling behind her helmet.

"Be careful..." The quarian said quietly, as John walked away from her, towards the angered krogan warlord.

As John approached him, Wrex stopped shooting at the water. The human Spectre stopped a few meters from him.

"This isn't right, Shepard. If Saren has the cure for the genophage, we should use it to save my people..." The krogan said, looking at the shallow waters. John bit his lip, and took a stern stance.

"I understand how you feel about this, Wrex. But this genophage cure is not used for the sake of your people; Saren uses it to create an endless horde of krogans. You can't think that he'd actually use it to cure your people!" John argued. Wrex took a long breath through his nostrils, and turned to John, taking a few steps towards him, as if to challenge the young Commander.

"Really? Because I'm kinda seeing that he's doing the opposite of what the turians and salarians did! They infected us, destroyed our future, and now Saren holds the key to make that all better!" Wrex said loudly. John bit his lip again, he really was unsure where this would go.

"Wrex, Saren will not help your people! He'll only use them in his fight against us! After that, the Reapers will destroy them too!" He said loudly. Wrex frowned deeply, and shook his head.

"I'm not letting this opportunity be ruined, Shepard! Even if Saren fails, I will save my people!" The krogan yelled, suddenly aiming his shotgun at John. The young Commander with lightning reflexes brought his pistol to aim at Wrex, his heart racing. A few seconds later, Kaidan, Ash and Garrus were next to him, their assault rifles drawn on the krogan.

"You don't need to do this!" John yelled, aiming his pistol right between Wrex's eyes.

"Put the gun down!" Ash yelled as well. Wrex's eyes jumped between the four armed people in front of him. The krogan frowned deeply still, locking eyes with John.

"You have no idea what the genophage has done to me, to my people! None of you understand!" Wrex said loudly, clenching his teeth together. John sighed a bit, still aiming at his krogan companion though.

"I do understand, Wrex. It's because of your daughter..." The Commander said. Wrex's eyes widened, and he lowered the shotgun lightly. The krogan's eyes travelled to Tali, who stood nearby, looking straight at him.

"Think of her, Wrex... would she want this? If Saren succeeds with this cure, it'll mean the end for everything, krogan included. Your fight would be in total vain..." John said, almost pleading with Wrex to see the truth. The krogan was quiet for a moment, still holding his shotgun. His hands began to shake a bit.

"She... she would have been so beautiful... so innocent... and the genophage didn't even give her that chance..." Wrex said quietly, his voice trembling. For a moment, John thought he could see a single tear roll down his krogan friend's cheek.

"If you help us stop Saren, the cure for the genophage will get another chance. It will, Wrex... the krogan will not be destroyed completely. But if Saren wins... all of us will die." John explained, lowering his pistol now. Wrex was quiet again, his lip moving a bit.

"I guess Saren wouldn't treat us any better than the Council did, hm?" The krogan said quietly.

A few moments later, Wrex lowered his shotgun, which made John and Kaidan sigh in relief.

"Alright, Shepard... I'll trust you with this. I don't like ruining the only good chance my people have for a cure... but I promise you that I will get a cure someday. And also... when we meet Saren, I want his head." The krogan said determinately, to which John nodded.

"Noted, Wrex. And... thank you." He said quietly. Ash, Kaidan and Garrus lowered their weapons now too, being relieved. Wrex chuckled a bit, and walked past them all.

"Well, let's not waste any time. Let's go crack some heads." He said, walking towards the salarians. John smiled a bit, and followed in the krogan's wake.

**...**

Few minutes later, the team was with the salarians again. Captain Kirrahe patiently waited for John to walk to him. Kaidan and Ashley followed the young Commander.

"Good that you resolved that issue peacefully, Commander... I'm seeing that your fame is not poorly placed." The salarian captain said. John scratched the back of his head a bit.

"Thanks." He could only say. After that, Kirrahe placed his hands behind his back, looking professional again.

"Our plan is simple, Commander; we attack the facility, clear out the geth forces, and place an improvised nuclear device at the center of it. After that, we will extract on your ship, and fly to a safe distance before the bomb's detonation." Kirrahe explained. Kaidan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Where'd you get a nuclear device?" The Lieutenant asked. Kirrahe cleared his throat a bit.

"We created it out of our ship's drive core. It's unstable, but should do the job well." The salarian explained. Ash nodded her head, speaking up.

"I'm experienced with explosive devices, Captain. I volunteer to handle the device, and its arming." The young Sergeant said confidently. Kirrahe seemed to agree.

"Understood, I'm sure you'll be more experienced in it than one of my guys. With your permission, Commander, Sergeant Williams will arm the nuclear device. And, if you give your consent, I'd ask for another of your companions, to help me and my team with the attack on our part." The Captain said. John nodded in understanding and agreement, turning to Kaidan.

"Kaidan, you'll go with the salarians. Ashley will take the device to the Normandy, which will bring it to the facility, after we've cleared it out." The Commander ordered, to both Kaidan and Ashley responded with salutes.

"Very good. We have made all preparations, and are ready to go. Give me just a minute with my men." Kirrahe said, walking past the three to stand in front of his team. John and his team watched as the salarian captain cleared his throat, and began a speech.

"You all know the mission and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life, but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns, men." Kirrahe started, looking upon his men.

"We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way." He continued, his men all standing straight.

"Think of our heroes: the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are." The salarian captain said, starting to walk back and forth in front his men.

"Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers..." He continued, his voice determined and stern.

"Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that, we held the line. Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line!" Kirrahe said loudly. John smiled a bit, Kirrahe certainly was motivational.

"Our influence will stop Saren! in the battle today, we will hold the line!" The Captain ended, pointing towards the sky. Wrex let out a loud war cry, which made a few salarians jump. After that, Kirrahe turned to John again.

"Good luck, Commander... I hope we live through this day." The Captain said, saluting John, to which he answered with a salute as well.

After that, John gestured the rest of his team to follow him, as he made his way towards the nearby caverns, which would lead to the facility. Ashley and Kaidan went with the salarians, to do their part.

**20 minutes later...**

A wave of blue biotic energy pushed three geth troopers in the air, making them fall on the ground. Garrus and Tali ran to the downed synthetics, shooting them in the head, destroying them.

John walked into the large open room, Liara and Wrex following him. Tali and Garrus joined him again as well, having dispatched the geth. The young Spectre looked around the room, seeing several holding cells or pens on the other side of it. At a closer look, John could see several people in the cells.

Picking up the pace, John made his way to the cells, his squad following him. As they got to one of the cells, they could see a single asari inside it. In the next cell, there were three salarians. The asari detainee held her head with her hands, as if she had migraine. John knocked on the cell's glass door with his fingers.

"Hello? Are you okay in there?" He asked. The asari gave no response, and only held her head more. Liara hummed quietly.

"Hmm... she might be indoctrinated, John. Though I'm not sure why they would lock her in, if that's the case." The asari scientist said thoughtfully. John agreed with the point, why would Saren lock her up, if she was indoctrinated? John carefully touched the door's control pad, opening the glass.

The asari seemed to notice the door opening, and looked up to the people in front of her. Seeing John, her pupils suddenly widened, and she lunged forward with a scream, her body being surrounded by biotic energy. Before John could react, two gunshots pierced the asari's body. As the attacker fell on the floor dead, John turned to see Garrus hold his rifle at her, having been the one to shoot.

"She was attacking you, Commander... I had to shoot her." The turian said, defending what he did. John nodded, understanding it.

"I know, Garrus. Thank you." He said quietly, moving his eyes to the dead asari.

"She must've seen you, John, and attack you. Definitely indoctrination by Sovereign." Liara said. John took a deep breath, and moved over to the other cell, where the three salarians resided. The salarians held their heads as well, which told John that they were likely indoctrinated too.

"These poor people..." Tali said quietly, to which Garrus agreed.

"No one should have their mind manipulated like this... Saren needs to be stopped." The turian said. John frowned, and nodded.

"We can't help these people... but we can take down Saren, and that's exactly what we're gonna do." He said determinately, turning away from the salarian prisoners.

"Let's move out" He added, walking past his squad, heading further into the facility. His squadmates followed close by.

**Several minutes later...**

A large quiet laboratory was suddenly filled with gunfire, as John and his team entered it. Several geth troopers defended the room, taking cover behind some lab equipment. Tali activated her omni-tool, pointing it towards the troopers. Her holographic drone formed up behind the geth, its pink color distinguishing it from other drones.

"Do it Chatika!" The quarian yelled. The drone suddenly exploded in electric energy. The geth troopers staggered from the energy, losing their protective shields. Thanks for that, John, Garrus and Liara made quick work of the defending troopers.

At the end of the laboratory, a krogan, probably a scientist, grabbed a geth rifle from a table, and started shooting it at the attackers. Without any warning, Wrex suddenly charged the krogan with biotic energy, moving with lightning speed through the air, which made John's short hair wave, as the warlord flew past him. Wrex collided with the krogan scientist, pushing him to the ground. The ferocious krogan warlord slid on the floor, standing over the other krogan, pushing his Claymore shotgun in his mouth. Wrex pulled the trigger, exploding the krogan's head into a bloody mess.

After that act of violence, John sighed in slight relief, seeing that the laboratory was empty. Looking around, the young Commander could see several cloning tanks, where growing krogan soldiers laid dormant. Saren was really breeding a krogan army in this facility.

"Goddess, these krogan are almost ready for waking. Saren could have thousands of soldiers ready in a matter of weeks." Liara said in slight terror, looking at the several tanks.

"He could even make these krogan have no mind of their own either... it'd be a perfect weapon against the other races." Tali said, taking a closer look at one of the tanks. Garrus made his way to a computer console, searching it for any information.

"These things are not true krogan... they're just lifeless tools to be used." Wrex stated, walking towards the squad from the krogan scientist's body.

As John looked at one of the tanks, Garrus suddenly got everyone's attention.

"Commander, this console has some interesting information in it. It talks about how the geth have evolved these past 300 years. It could be useful for the Alliance and the Council." The turian officer said. Tali's eyes widened at that, but she remained silent. John walked over to Garrus, looking at the information himself. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Yeah, it might very well be useful. Download a copy of it, we'll give it to the Alliance and the Council." The Commander said, to which Garrus nodded, and activated his omni-tool, downloading the console's contents.

"Commander Shepard, report in." Captain Kirrahe's voice said through John's armor's commsystem.

"Shepard here. We cleared out a laboratory inside the facility, and snatched some valuable information. How are things at your end?" John asked. The salarian captain was silent for a moment, before answering. Gunfire could be heard in the background.

"We are making good progress, no casualties so far. The geth seem to be focusing their defense on the anti-aircraft weapons. We'll clear those guns out, so that the Normandy can land and deliver the bomb. Good luck, Kirrahe out!" Kirrahe said, closing off the transmission.

"Alright, let's move out, we still have a job to do." John declared, signaling his squad to follow him, as he made his way out the laboratory. Tali bit her lip, as he followed in John's wake, her thoughts circling around the geth data they had just recovered.

**...**

Inside the Normandy's cargo hold, Ashley was knelt down beside the salarian nuclear device. Next to him, a Marine Corporal Woodcomb, helped her readying the device for deployment and arming. Navigator Pressly also overlooked the bomb, pressing a few holographic buttons on his omni-tool.

"Let's hope this thing works." The older XO said. Ash chuckled a bit, attaching a few wires together.

"It will, Pressly, don't worry. It should make a big boom, that's for sure." The young Sergeant said in a slight joking manner. Corporal Woodcomb closed off a metallic panel on the device, soldering it shut.

"Did you work around bombs a lot in the artillery regiment, Williams?" The young Corporal asked. Ash nodded.

"Yeah, many times I was tasked with exploding old grenades and bombs, so this is nothing new for me." She explained. The three then continued to work on the bomb, preparing it.

**...**

John and his squad entered an empty control room, cautiously looking around themselves.

"Strange... why is the control room empty?" Garrus asked, slowly walking in the room. John frowned his face a bit.

"I don't know... be ready, everyone." He said quietly, slowly moving towards a large holographic stand.

As they walked in front of the stand, it suddenly sprung to life. Preparing themselves, John's team took a stern stance. A red, menacing hologram formed in front of them. John's heart started beating faster, as the hologram took form. It looked like Sovereign, like a huge metallic cuttlefish.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Wrex said quietly, looking at the hologram. A moment later, the hologram started speaking, its low and powerful voice booming inside John's ears.

**"You, are not Saren."** The hologram said. Tali looked upon it with curious eyes, but was filled with slight fear as well.

"What is that? The ship's VI interface...?" She asked cautiously, not sure on what the hologram was.

**"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You gaze upon me... but are incapable of understanding."** It answered, to which Garrus swallowed loudly.

"I don't think that's a VI..." The turian stated quietly. John frowned, taking a step closer to the hologram, challenging it. He wasn't afraid.

"What are you?" The Commander asked. The hologram was quiet for a second, then answering with its metallic voice.

**"I am beyond your comprehension... I, am Sovereign. I am the Vanguard of your destruction."** Sovereign stated, which made Liara take a step back. John looked upon Sovereign's hologram for a moment, coming to a startling realization.

"Sovereign isn't just a Reaper ship Saren and the geth found... it's an actual Reaper itself! They're not a race of machines like the geth, they're like Sovereign... huge starships..." He said to his squad, who all looked just as surprised.

**"Reaper... a name created by countless of cycles ago, to give voice to their extinction... but we are without a name... we simply are."** Sovereign said. John raised his eyebrows at that.

"Cycles? What cycles?" Liara asked the machine. Sovereign answered with the booming voice again.

**"Organic evolution is merely an accident... it happens, and we bestow order on that chaos. These form the cycles we have overseen for millions of years now, and it will continue for millions of years."** The Reaper stated. John couldn't understand. The Reapers had been wiping out organic life for millions of years?

"What do you mean? Have you existed for millions of years?" Tali asked, leaning her head with slight curiosity.

**"Yes. We have existed since the dawn of the universe... we were the first, and we will be the last. You think the protheans were the first to fall, but in reality, they were simply among the millions of species that have fell from our will. We oversee the order of the universe... you only exist because we allow it, and you will all end, because we demand it."** Sovereign stated, to which John frowned his face, crossing his arms.

"Why? Why do you do so? You eradicate all life in the galaxy." The Commander said.

**"We harvest the species of every cycle... we let new life grow and live, before it is time for them to end as well. That is order that we bestow on the universe, otherwise, everything in the galaxy would be in total chaos."** The Reaper explained. Wrex huffed a bit, his arms crossed over his chest too.

"This is the problem with damn synthetics; they only see order and mathematics... and shit..." The krogan mumbled. Garrus shook his head, looking at Sovereign.

"But it doesn't make any sense. What makes you harvest all life? Who created you? Did they want to do this as well?" The turian asked. Sovereign was quiet for a moment again.

**"Our beginning has no meaning, only what we do now. You as many species before think that the galaxy is yours. You think the Citadel and the Mass Relays came from the species before you. The truth is; we created them, you use our technology to claim this galaxy. Then we claim it back for ourselves, for it is all rightfully ours."** The Reaper said, its voice echoing arrogance.

"How many are you then? Why are you all alone?" Tali asked, to which John nodded, as he wondered the same thing.

**"We are a legion. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. I am merely the Vanguard, the one who initiates our invasion. When we re-emerge, you will have no hope of fighting back. We are all independent, like a nation, but joined together in the one true cause; order in the chaos of organic evolution. There is no escape from that."** Sovereign stated. John's patience was wearing thin, the Reaper's arrogance and confidence surely annoyed him.

"You're not even alive, you're a machine, and machines can be broken. There a billions of sentient beings in this galaxy, organic beings, who all will oppose you." The Commander said defiantly.

**"Your confidence is poorly placed. You will all die, the cycle will continue. This conversation is over."** The Reaper said, and with that, its red hologram disappeared. After that, Wrex chuckled a bit.

"Huh, what an arrogant machine, I give it that." The krogan said. John agreed, but sighed a bit.

"It's still a big danger to us all, we need to destroy this facility now." The Commander said, turning around and heading towards the control room's exit. His armor's commsystem transmitted Joker's voice through it.

"Commander, Captain Kirrahe just reported, that they have taken out the anti-air guns. I'll bring the Normandy down in the central courtyard, it shouldn't be far away from you." The pilot told. John nodded, talking to his microphone.

"Roger that, we'll head straight there." He said, closing off the transmission.

John and his squad then made their way to the facility's courtyard, to rendezvous with the Normandy, and Ashley.

**10 minutes later...**

As John and his squad arrived to the courtyard, the Normandy was already there, having its boarding ramp down. Ashley and Woodcomb carried the bomb to the center of the area, near a dam like wall, that let some water fall onto the courtyard, forming a small and shallow pond.

Walking to the two, John put his assault rifle on his back. After Ash and Woodcomb placed the bomb down, the Sergeant walked to her commanding officer.

"The bomb's in place, Skipper... now we just need to arm it, and get out of here." She said, clapping her hands a bit, as if to push dirt out of them. Before John could answer, his commsystem got his attention.

"Commander, come in!" Kaidan's distressed voice said through the transmission. John immediately answered.

"What's wrong, Kaidan?" He asked quickly. He could hear constant gunfire in the background.

"The geth have us pinned down at the second AA tower! We've lost several salarians already, we need assistance, Commander!" Kaidan said quickly. An explosion could be heard, and John nodded.

"Alright, we'll come there right away, just stay alive!" He ordered, closing off the transmission. Ashley nodded, grabbing her assault rifle.

"Get going, Skipper. Me and Woodcomb will arm the bomb, and defend this area." The Sergeant said professionally. John agreed to that, quickly placing his hand on Ash's shoulder.

"You stay safe too, okay?" The young Commander said, to which Ash answered with a smile.

"You got it, John. Now go, the LT needs your help!" She said, urging John to go. John nodded, and gestured his squad to follow.

"Come on! We need to hurry!" He said urgently, starting to jog towards the elevators, that'd take them to the tower. The Normandy suddenly charged up its engines, and started backing away from the courtyard.

"Bad news, Commander. Several geth ships are closing in, I'll move the Normandy in to intercept." Joker's voice said through the comms. John frowned a bit.

"You sure you can handle them? The Normandy isn't a fighter." The Commander asked, still pacing quickly towards the elevator.

"It won't be a problem, the Normandy is the fastest ship in the Alliance, plus it can pack a hell of a punch. I'll intercept them and swing back to support you. Joker out." The pilot said, and closed the transmission.

John then quickly walked to the elevator, waiting for his squad to enter as well. As the others entered the elevator, John glanced a final look at Ashley, who gave him a 'good luck' look, before the elevator's doors closed.

**...**

Walking quickly, John made his way towards another elevator, which would finally take them to the AA tower, where Kaidan was pinned down. As the squad approached the lift, a geth frigate flew over them, ominously flying towards the courtyard. Descending, the geth frigate got into position at the courtyard. John opened up his commsystem.

"Ash, be careful of that get frigate. Do you need help?" He asked, speaking to his microphone. Gunfire could be now heard from Ash's end.

"It's alright, Skipper. Me and Woodcomb can hold them off, just go save Kaidan!" The Sergeant assured, gunfire increasing in the background. John didn't know what to do.

"Those geth will overwhelm you, Ash. I'm coming back." The Commander said, but Ashley stopped him.

"Negative! We can hold them off for now, but Kaidan needs your help right now!" Ash yelled, an explosion distorting the transmission a bit. Garrus walked to John.

"Shepard, we need to go save Kaidan and the salarians, we can then go back for Ashley." The turian said, trying to reason with John, who was at a loss of words.

"It's the right thing to do, Skipper. If me and Woodcomb won't make it, I'll activate the bomb, but we can hold them off. Oh shit! Rocket troopers! Woodcomb get down!" Ash yelled in the transmission. An explosion cut the feed off, and John's heart jumped to his throat.

"Ashley? Ash?!" John yelled, but receiving no answer. He then quickly turned around, trying to go back to the courtyard.

"Shepard, we need to help Kaidan! Don't sacrifice two people when you can save one!" Garrus yelled after him. John shook his head, walking towards the other elevator.

"I'm not sacrificing anyone..." He said quietly, continuing to walk. Wrex quickly ran up to him, and grabbed his arm violently, jerking him to face the krogan.

"Damn it, Shepard! This is bigger than any of us! Sacrifices must be made in order to achieve victory, you of all people should know that! You're an Alliance Commander, responsible for many more lives than just one, so act like it!" Wrex yelled, clenching his teeth a few centimeters away from John's face.

The young Commander's face said it all; he was in shock, not thinking clearly, and Garrus and Wrex could see that. The turian got the others' attention.

"We'll go aid Kaidan, Shepard... join us if you want, but we can't wait anymore." Garrus said determinately, gesturing the others to follow him, as he made his way towards the elevator. Wrex huffed in frustration, and let go John's arm, following Garrus. Liara sighed deeply, and followed the two.

Tali however, made her way to John. The Commander fell on his knees, his hands shaking. He couldn't do it, not again. He had lost so many men and women serving under him. Losing Jenkins was a bad hit for him, but losing both Ash and Woodcomb now... he couldn't do it, he just couldn't. Why did everyone hold him in such a high view? He couldn't even keep his subordinates alive, he wasn't leader material.

His depressed thoughts were interrupted by the feel of Tali's soft gloved hand squeezing his. He looked at the quarian, who knelt down next to him, looking into his eyes. Tali's glowing silver eyes made John's heart calm down.

"John... it's what she wants. She's ready to go down fighting, if it means we're successful in this mission. Don't throw everything away for the small hope of maybe being able to save her. Her life won't have any less worth, if she loses her life today." She said softly, looking into John's eyes. The Commander's eyes were glassy, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"I... I can't lose more..." He said quietly, his lip trembling. Tali nodded, and gently pulled her hand to his cheek, wiping the tear away with her thumb.

"You're not all powerful, John. She's a strong woman, a strong person. She'd hate you, if you saved her, and by doing so, sacrificed more people. Don't blame yourself if you lose her... don't blame yourself if you lose anyone, sometimes you cannot stop it." The quarian girl continued, now holding John's cheek with her hand.

A distant explosion was heard from the courtyard's direction. John sighed deeply, nodding quietly. Tali helped him get up, and to John's surprise, Garrus, Wrex and Liara were waiting at the elevator for them. Sighing again, John let his head fall down to look on the ground. Tali gently grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the elevator.

"Come on, leth'alan... we still got work to do." She said softly. John nodded quietly, glancing to the courtyard's direction.

"I'm sorry, Ash... forgive me..." The Commander said quietly, taking a hold of himself, and bringing himself to walk to the elevator with quick pace.

The two entered the elevator then, and Garrus activated it, closing the doors.

**...**

Breathing heavily, Ashley looked around herself. She was sitting against the nuclear device, her armor having several smoking holes, having come from geth pulse rifles. As she looked to her left, Ash could see Woodcomb's dead body, having his face down in the shallow water. She then looked in front of her, seeing several geth troopers holding their pulse rifles at her, but not firing.

She could then hear something with a small engine fly over her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she slowly moved her right hand to her waist, grabbing her Predator pistol. Opening her eyes again, she could see someone jumping down from a hoverboard.

To her surprise and dismay, it was Saren, who now walked towards her. The traitorous turian Spectre stopped a few meters away from Ashley, looking down upon her.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams... you were on Eden Prime. Your service under Commander Shepard hasn't put you in a preferable position now, has it Sergeant?" Saren asked, smirking a little at Ashley. The Sergeant groaned lightly, her face frowned as she looked at him.

"I won't give you the pleasure Saren... you get nothing out of me..." She said angrily, to which Saren answered with a small laugh.

"Oh, I don't want anything from you, Williams. You are already dead, and there's no possible use in you for me." The turian explained. Ash huffed a bit, and weakly raised her left arm, pressing the nuclear device's activation button. The bomb behind her started beeping, indicating that it had been activated. Saren frowned.

"You've lost, Saren... this place will soon be just a smoking crater..." Ash said in a weak voice. Saren frowned more, and grabbed his M-77 Paladin pistol, and aimed it at Ash's head.

"Even if that happens, I have the coordinates for the Mu Relay. My scouts are looking for the Conduit right now, and will find it soon. Shepard's victory here will have no meaning whatsoever." The turian said, his pistol aimed between the Sergeant's eyes.

"Keep telling that to yourself, asswipe... you'll rot in Hell forever, and I will see you there..." Ash said with a large frown on her face. In her mind, she thought of her family, her parents, her sisters. She wondered where Sarah was right now, maybe she was having dinner with the rest of the family. Ash regretted not being there for her family more, that she spent her whole life in the military, trying to maybe prove to the rest of the galaxy, that the Williams line was brave, and a name worthy of knowing.

Suddenly, she drew her pistol on Saren, letting out a desperate yell. Saren smirked, and pulled the trigger on his pistol...

**...**

Volleys of bullets hit several geth troopers at the AA tower, as John and his squad arrived. With more firepower now, the joint forces overpowered the geth, making quick work of them. After a few minutes, all of the geth had been destroyed, and the team could take a relieved breath. Captain Kirrahe then made his way to John, his eyes travelling between the several dead salarians.

"Thank you for coming, Commander... we've lost half of our forces, the geth suddenly upped their efforts." The salarian captain explained, sighing a bit, seeing his dead comrades. John nodded, being awfully quiet. He still couldn't get Ash out of his head. Before he could say anything, a loud engine like noise got everyone's attention. Kaidan looked up to the sky, and his eyes widened.

"Look out!" The Lieutenant yelled. As John and Kirrahe looked up, all they could see for a second, was a purple-ish blue ball of energy approaching them. The energy ball hit the ground on their feet, blasting them back in the air, and dropping them on the floor. Several other energy balls hit the tower's floor as well, forcing everyone to take cover behind boxes and chest high walls. As John crawled for cover, he could see Saren, riding a hoverboard, shooting his pistol at the fleeing salarians, and John's squad.

After everyone had taken cover, Saren stopped shooting, jumping down from his hoverboard. The turian Spectre walked around a little, his face smirking as if he had just won a battle. John noticed that he had lost his assault rifle, quickly grabbing his M-6 Carnifex pistol. The Commander emerged from his cover a bit, shooting at Saren relentlessly. All of his bullets were stopped by a powerful shield surrounding Saren, it was most likely geth or Reaper technology. Seeing that his shooting didn't achieve anything, John stopped, and returned to his cover. Saren smirked, and looked upon his human nemesis.

"I was wondering if I'd see you here at all, Shepard, good to see that I don't have to be disappointed." The turian said, almost tauntingly. John took a breath, and reloaded his pistol.

"You're going to be disappointed that your precious cloning facility will be destroyed soon." The Commander shot back, looking around to see his squad looking at him for orders. John signaled them to hold back, with his hands.

"Oh, I know that, Shepard... your Gunnery Chief companion told me that." Saren said, smirking deviously. John's heart jumped; Saren had talked to Ash. Now all of his hopes to see the Sergeant again vanished. Closing his eyes from sadness, he swallowed loudly. He then opened his eyes, his face now filled with rage.

"You'll regret for ever mentioning her!" John said loudly, and emerged from his cover, running towards Saren with his pistol. The human Commander yelled in rage, as he attacked the turian. Saren aimed his pistol at John, who grabbed the turian's right arm. John then aimed his pistol at Saren, who in turn also grabbed his right arm. The two then were locked in a hand-to-hand powerstruggle, John's body being surrounded by blue biotic energy.

Captain Kirrahe signaled his men, emerging from his cover, and running towards the two fighting Spectres. Saren kicked John in his stomach with his knee, which made the young human cough as the air left his lungs. The turian then grabbed John's throat, and threw him away.

Captain Kirrahe now attacked the turian Spectre, quickly kicking the M-77 pistol out of his hand. The salarian operative then tried to punch Saren, but the turian grabbed his fist. Saren stared into Kirrahe's eyes for a second, as if judging him for what he just tired to do. The turian then threw Kirrahe away as well, and easily pushed the several salarian operatives back with his biotic-like powers, which really weren't biotic powers, and John suspected them to be from the Reapers as well.

After that, Saren faced down Wrex, who charged the turian like a rampant rhino, screaming loudly. The krogan warlord bumped into Saren, pushing the turian back. Surprisingly though, Saren surrounded his body with the purple-ish energy, and lifted Wrex up in his hands, throwing the krogan over his head. Wrex fell on the floor hard like a wrecking ball.

After that, Garrus was no in front of Saren, lifting his rifle at the turian Spectre, trying to fire. Saren grabbed the rifle, and pushed it to the side, so that Garrus' shots missed him. The Spectre then kicked Garrus on the stomach too, and grabbed his rifle, hitting the turian officer's face with it.

After Garrus had fell on the floor, Kaidan, Liara and Tali opened fire with their weapons. The shots were absorbed by Saren's shields at first, but a few went through it, making the turian Spectre stagger a bit. Saren angrily used his powers again, ripping a metallic pillar off one of the AA guns, throwing it at the three. Liara tried to stop the incoming object with her biotics, but was only partially successful. The pillar hit Liara and Kaidan, throwing them back on the floor. Tali ducked just in time, avoiding the collision.

Before Saren could attack Tali with his powers, John was back on his feet, kicking the turian Spectre in his leg. Saren staggered, and turned around, trying to block John's attack. The human Spectre punched the turian in the face, after which he tried again, but this time charging his fist with biotic energy. Saren was however faster, suddenly grabbing John by his throat, lifting him up in the air.

Tali's heart started racing, as she saw that. Noticing that her pistol had ran out of ammo, she had think quickly. Without further thinking, the small quarian then sprinted towards the two Spectres, grabbing a knife out of her boot. As she approached the turian Spectre, Tali raised her knifed hand, preparing to stab the bastard. Saren, holding John with his left hand, saw the quarian charge at him, grabbing her wrist just as Tali was about to stab him.

"Bold little quarian..." The turian said with a stale face. Thanks to Tali's distraction though, John was able to gather his strength, and punch the turian Spectre in the face. Saren staggered, letting go off both John and Tali.

The turian angrily growled, and pushed the two on their backs with his powers. After John and Tali were pushed on the floor, Saren turned around, quickly making his way to the hoverboard he had arrived on. The turian jumped onto the hoverboard, flying towards the sky with it. John groaningly got up, frowning as he looked at the turian Spectre.

"We'll meet again, Shepard... but before I go, here's a little parting gift for you..." Saren said turning his head to look at another approaching hoverboard. It was flown by three geth troopers, and as they arrived to the scene, the synthetics dropped something.

John's heart almost stopped, as he saw Ash's and Woodcomb's dead bodies fall on the ground. The Sergeant's face was stained with dried blood, a hole in her forehead indicating that she had been executed. The Commander fell on his knees, not believing his eyes.

"NOO!" John yelled from the top of his lungs. He had lost a friend, he had lost two people who depended on him to keep them alive, he had failed.

Saren smirked plainly, and flew his hoverboard away, the geth following him. The salarians, Garrus and Wrex got to their feet, and shot their weapons after the fleeing turian Spectre, who now boarded the geth frigate that had arrived earlier. After that, the geth ship flew away.

John let himself fall to the ground, only keeping him up his hands. His heart ached, he had sworn not to lose anyone serving under him anymore, but he had failed in that.

Suddenly, the Normandy came into view, slowly arriving to the AA tower, lowering its boarding ramp. Captain Kirrahe signaled everyone to get into the ship, his men and John's followers doing as ordered. The salarian captain and Garrus took a hold of John's hands, dragging his limb body to the Normandy. Kaidan and Liara ran to the ship, having recovered themselves from Saren's attack.

Wrex and a few salarians ran to the two Alliance soldier bodies, the salarians picking up Woodcomb's body, and Wrex taking Ash into his hands, carrying her into the ship. Tali could only hear her heart beat loudly, as she walked into the Normandy, looking at Ash's dead body in Wrex's hands.

A few moments later, everyone was inside the Normandy, and the Alliance frigate took off, closing its boarding ramp again. The ship then charged up its engines, pushing it towards Virmire's atmosphere. The Normandy flew with its greatest speed to escape the imminent nuclear blast.

"Everybody hang on!" Joker's voice rang out from the intercom across the ship.

A second later, the nuclear device exploded, a blinding light resulted from the blast, dimming down mere seconds later. A huge mushroom cloud rose up, as the blast carried on, wiping out everything from a few kilometer radius. The shockwave made the Normandy tremble a bit, forcing Joker to level the ship again with manual controls.

A few moments later, it was all over. Saren's facility had been destroyed, but with a huge cost.

Inside the ship's cargo hold, Kaidan was knelt down before John, who silently sat on a box. The young Lieutenant snapped his fingers in front of the Commander's eyes.

"John, say something..." Kaidan pleaded, but John remained silent. A mere seconds later, John's gaze suddenly locked to Kaidan, his eyes showing anger, shock, and yet, determination. The Commander got up from the box, walking past the people around him, who all shared worried looks.

"I will kill him..." John said quietly, walking towards the ship's elevator. Tali tried to reach out to him with her hand, but wasn't able to.

"Shepard..." Garrus said, trying to get John's attention, but the Commander kept going.

"I will kill him..." He repeated quietly, walking into the elevator.

His entire team, and the salarians stared at John, as he activated the elevator, standing there alone. As the door slid shut, all of them saw the final glimpse of John's face, which was stern like a stone, and filled with determination.

****Alright, here's the awesome chapter I promised you, guys!**

**First off, I want to thank all of you for continuing to show interest in my story, it really means a great deal to me. So thanks all of you, and remember, I'm always available for discussions or answering any questions you might have. PM me for those kinds of things, or if you just want to say hi. **

**Okay, so something about the chapter. The scene with Tali sleeping in John's room, originates from another fanfic, which name I can't remember, but I do remember a similar scene in that. Pass my thanks for the inspiration to that author, if you know him/her, it was such a good idea, that I thought of making my own version to this story. **

**Ash's death, and the Saren fight, and basically the scenes surrounding those, were something I had planned in detail months ago, I'm glad I finally got to do them, and I think I captured what I had in mind pretty well, let me know what you think in the reviews.**

**And lastly, like always, have a great time reading this chapter. More is on the way, as we're nearing the end of the ME1 storyline. See ya, guys and gals!** **


	16. Chapter 15: Questionable Orders

**Chapter 15: Questionable Orders**

The low hum of the Normandy was the only sound heard in the ship's cargo hold. Standing silently, John looked over a closed metallic coffin. A second coffin was next to the one the young Alliance Commander was standing in front of. In his hand, John held Ashley's dog tags, looking at them quietly.

The Commander hadn't spoken for hours, only silently walked around the ship, and was now paying his respects for the two Alliance soldiers he had lost on Virmire; Ashley and Woodcomb.

A few meters away from John, Captain Kirrahe and the surviving members of his Salarian Special Tasks Group team, silently stood and watched the Commander, as if he was giving an eulogy. After a few moments, the salarian Captain walked next to John, putting his hands behind his back.

"She was an exceptional person, Commander. I'm sure both of them fought to the end, like any good soldier would." Kirrahe said quietly. John glanced at Ash's dog tags one more time, before putting them down on the coffin.

"I'm sure too..." He answered plainly, his hand staying on the coffin for a moment. Kirrahe then quietly cleared his throat, turning towards John.

"Me and the remains of my team will depart the Normandy, once we dock in with the Citadel. I'll make a report on the mission, and make sure that both Sergeant Williams, and Corporal Woodcomb will be remembered for their sacrifice." The salarian captain said. John silently nodded, to which Kirrahe nodded also, in understanding that the young Commander didn't really want to talk. As the salarian started to make his way towards his men, John suddenly spoke up.

"We couldn't recover any of your fallen, Captain... I'm sorry." He said quietly. Kirrahe turned around, looking at John, and smiling slightly.

"We are STG, Commander. The records are sealed for our heroics, no mentions are made of our fallen in official reports. We will honor them greatly, and their actions and sacrifices won't be forgotten by us, but the rest of the galaxy will never know about them." The salarian answered. John couldn't understand that.

"You sacrifice giving your fallen proper respects to remain in the shadows?" The young Spectre asked. The salarian nodded.

"That is our way, Commander. We'll honor them our own way back on Sur'Kesh, but that'll have to wait until our mission is complete. You have our deepest condolences for your loss, Commander, I hope we'll meet again." Kirrahe said in a friendly manner, smiling, and then turning to his comrades. Feeling slightly better, John turned his way around towards the elevator, starting to make his way to it, seeing Garrus and Liara stand beside the Mako, talking. The young commander decided to approach them, the two noticing him as he walked next to them.

"John, how are you feeling?" Liara asked quietly, having a worried look on her face. John silently nodded, he wasn't feeling good at all, but decided to suppress those thoughts.

"I'm better... don't worry, just... it's still fresh..." The young human said, his eyes travelling to look at the floor. Garrus nodded silently in understanding.

"None of us could've seen it coming... it's not your fault, Shepard. Ash and Woodcomb didn't die for nothing, though... Saren will go down, thanks to their efforts too." The turian officer said assuring, gently patting John on the shoulder. The human Spectre nodded determinately.

"That bastard won't escape us for long anymore; I'll try to get the Council to support us more, perhaps with fleets and armies... we can't defeat Saren alone." John said. Liara nodded, but sighed quietly.

"They might not agree, John... I just hope they'll at least help us locate the Mu Relay, or we might never be able to stop Saren from reaching the Conduit, and help the Reapers return." The asari scientist said, stroking her chin. Garrus frowned his face to that, his mandibles moving.

"They have to see reason now, Saren and the geth must have a main force massed somewhere, waiting to attack where we're most vulnerable... the Council can't ignore that." The turian said. John sighed a bit, nodding.

"Well, only way to find out, is to go meet with them." He said quietly. A few moments of silence were then broken by Liara.

"I couldn't believe it even though I saw it with my own eyes; the Reapers are a sentient synthetic race of spaceships." She said thoughtfully, to which Garrus shrugged his shoulders.

"Sounds pretty crazy, right? Just talking to Sovereign made me be even more worried about the Reapers. Sovereign is just one Reaper, and it's more powerful than anything we've seen before, and to think that there's more of them... a lot more of them, makes me shudder..." The turian said, his mandibles twitching.

"I wonder who created them, according to Sovereign, it happened millions of years ago. Think about it, millions of years filled with slaughtering of sentient species... the Reapers definitely have earned their name." Liara said quietly, which made Garrus shudder again. John hummed quietly.

"All the more reason for us to stop them." The Commander said determinately. Liara and Garrus nodded to that. A moment later, John looked around the room quickly.

"Where's Wrex?" He asked. Garrus shrugged shoulders.

"Don't know, but I'd guess he went to eat something... I could swear I heard his stomach growl louder than my father snoring a little while ago." The turian said. That made John feel just a tiny bit better, making him smile very slightly.

"Tali walked past us to the elevator a little while ago, I don't know where she was heading, though." Liara noted. John nodded and started making his way towards the lift.

"I'll go to my cabin, I'll see you two later, when we reach the Citadel." The Commander said quietly, walking to the elevator, not really giving Liara and Garrus the chance to reply. The asari and turian knew what their friend and commander was going through, and wished they could help him, but knew not to intrude too much.

**Few moments later... **

John walked to the door for his cabin, swiping his finger on the console panel, that made the door slid open. Immediately after stepping inside, John's heart jumped a little, as he saw Tali standing next to his bed, holding a framed picture in her hands. The young quarian quickly turned around, looking startled.

"Oh, John! I didn't see you there." She said quickly, still holding the picture in her, which John knew was of him and Jane, taken during her graduation ceremony from an Alliance academy. The young human smiled, and closed the door.

"It's alright, Tali. What are you up to?" He asked in a friendly manner, walking to his quarian crewmate. Tali bit her lip, quickly placing the picture on John's night table.

"I.. uh.. I just wanted to talk about a few things with you." She said, her voice trembling a bit, which let John know, that she was nervous, as usual. John smiled a little.

"Alright, what is it?" He asked calmly, looking at his friend. Tali fiddled with her hands, quickly walking past John, and pacing back and forth for a few seconds. John raised his eyebrows a bit. After a moment, Tali took a deep breath, now standing in front of John, who had his back turned on the bed, that lied just behind him.

"Okay.. I... I wanted to give my condolences to you. I'm so sorry for what happened to Ash.. I.." She said quietly. John shook his head, gently taking Tali's hands, holding them.

"No, it's okay, Tali... I know, I failed her... she died because of me. But.. I am fine... I know Saren will pay for what he did to her... don't worry about me." He said calmly, looking into Tali's silver eyes. Those eyes were so beautiful in John's mind, he loved looking at them.

"I... I understand... I just.. if there's anything I can do for you, just tell me." Tali said very quietly, her eyes locked with John's. Tali found herself almost hypnotized by John's eyes, she was head over her heels in love with the human, and every moment she spent with him, her heart got filled with more love. John smiled sweetly then.

"So... did you have something else to talk about... or can I just stare into your beautiful eyes?" John asked, smirking ever so slightly, winking his eye as well. Tali felt extreme heat inside her suit, she was blushing more than she ever had before, she felt like she was going to faint.

"I... I.. I need to ask you for a favor..." Tali said quietly, still staring deep into John's eyes. John smiled, and moved just a bit closer to her.

"Ask away." He said, almost whispering. Tali gently squeezed the Commander's hands, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Uhm... I... do you remember that terminal on Virmire, from which you downloaded that geth data?" She asked, to which John immediately nodded.

"Yes. What about it?" He asked back. Tali bit her lip under her helmet, being quiet for a moment.

"I.. I just thought... could I get a copy of it?" She asked quietly, breaking eye contact with John for the first time, looking a bit down. John was quiet for a moment, but suddenly smiled again.

"Yeah, sure, you can have a copy." He said with a smile. Tali suddenly looked up to him, her eyes wide with surprise. She took a step back, looking at John in disbelief.

"R-Really? You... really?" She stuttered, having not expected that answer. John smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. It has information on the geth, information that could very well be useful for quarians too." The Commander said, placing his hands behind his back, still smiling. Tali still couldn't believe it, starting to fiddle with her hands.

"But... is it.. is it okay? I mean.. the Council and the Alliance can use it too..." She said, to which John nodded, but lifted his hand.

"True... but it's just a copy, and the information is indeed useful for you. You want to present it as a Pilgrimage gift, am I correct?" John asked with a friendly smile. Tali was quiet for a moment, and nodded.

"Yes... it.. it would be an invaluable gift for the Admiralty Board. My father would definitely be impressed.." She explained, still fiddling with her hands. John nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. So... just make a copy of it, and you can take it to the fleet." He said assuring, smiling warmly. Tali's heart was beating fast, she couldn't find words. She felt so much happiness, relief, surprise, and infatuation in that moment, she couldn't believe even being awake.

Without a word, Tali suddenly lunged at John, wrapping her hands around his neck. John was taken aback by the sudden embrace, and he stepped back. The bed behind John caught his legs, and the Commander fell back, the young quarian still tightly hugging him. The two fell on the bed, Tali now lying on top of John. The two looked at each other, in a moment that seemed to go on forever, with them staring at each other, making no sound other than their breathing.

John could see Tali's helmet fogging up a bit from his breathing, as well as from Tali feeling so much heat on her face. She must've been red as a tomato under that helmet. The moment carried on, the two still not saying a single word. John carefully and gently, as if by instinct, placed his hands on Tali's back, slowly starting to move them down. Tali's heartbeat quickened aggressively, and she felt more and more heat inside her suit. She felt a growing feeling of heat down between her legs as well.

"You.. you have a beautiful body, Tali..." John said quietly, his hand gently wandering on the quarian's bottom. That made Tali shiver, and bite her lip; she had never felt such a sensation. She looked deeply into John's eyes still, her breathing getting a bit heavier.

"I..." She whispered, not really finding any words to say. The moment was interrupted by Joker's sudden voice on the intercom, like always.

"We're approaching the Citadel, Commander. Ambassador Udina sent you a message, urging you to head for the Council chambers as soon as you can, they have requested an audience with you." The pilot's voice said. Having had their tender moment ruined again, John groaned quietly, rolling his eyes. Tali quickly got off him, standing up, starting to fiddle with her hands yet again. John sat up on the bed, sighing ever so slightly.

"Roger that, Joker, I'll be ready in a minute." The Commander said, scratching the back of his head.

"You got it, Shepard." Joker answered, closing the transmission. After that, John got up from the bed, focusing his attention to Tali again. The young quarian fiddled with her hands, moving her eyes to look at him.

"I... thank you, John... thank you so much. I.. I will repay you this, I promise." She said, nervously fiddling with her hands still. John smiled again, and scratched his neck.

"Oh, you don't need to, Tali." He assured, smiling, but Tali shook her head.

"No, I will return this favor, I promise. I need to go... I.. I'll see you later, John." The young quarian said in a fast pace, quickly making her way out of John's cabin. She stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving John standing alone in the quiet cabin. The young man sighed deeply, clapping his hands together once. After that, he started preparing for leaving the ship.

**Half an hour later...**

The elevator from the hangar the Normandy was stationed in came to halt, its doors sliding open. John and his team exited the elevator, arriving at the C-Sec Academy's main atrium, which also served as a hub for several elevators, that granted access to many parts of the Citadel, that were nearby.

John wasn't able to get far, when his walking was interrupted by an approaching human female, wearing a long, blue and red dress. The woman was followed by a small floating camera drone. The woman waved her hand to get John's attention, as she approached him.

"Commander Shepard? Commander, do you have a moment?" The woman asked, now standing right in front of John, who raised his eyebrows. Kaidan and Garrus behind him looked at each other quickly.

"Sure... what can I do for you?" John asked professionally, starting to figure out what the woman wanted.

"I'm Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, from Westerlund News." The woman said, extending her hand for John. The young Commander quietly shook the reporter's hand, not exactly being excited, if he was in for an interview.

"I assume you want an interview?" John asked, to which the reporter cheerily nodded.

"You are correct, Commander. You haven't done any interviews since your acceptance into the Spectres; humanity is very interested in what you've been up to, hunting down the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius." Khalisah explained. John crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I suppose I can spare a few moments." He answered, quickly glancing at his team.

"Head for the Council chambers. Garrus, make sure you all are let in... I'll be joining you in a little while." John said to his team. Garrus nodded as acknowledgment, and lead the rest of the team away, heading to the Council Tower. After that, John returned his attention to the reporter, who activated her camera drone, and took out a datapad.

"I'm joined in by Commander John Shepard from Alliance Navy, and now, more prominently, the first human Spectre, working directly for the Citadel Council. Commander, what can you tell us about the duties of a Spectre?" Khalisah asked, speaking into a holographic microphone, being utilized through the omni-tool. John cleared his throat a bit, and straightened his posture.

"It is quite simply put, actually; the Spectres represent the Council in situations where they can't be part of themselves. We are given rights beyond any law and rule in Council space, and can exact justice in the Council's name, without trial. However, sounding as extreme as it does, Spectres are expected to have a high sense of morality, and to not use their special given power to bring harm to innocent people." John explained, as professional as he could, placing his hands behind his back.

"A perfect example of a Spectre crossing the line would be Saren Arterius, who has waged war against humanity for a while now. What can you tell us about your fight against him?" The reporter asked, pointing the holographic microphone at John.

"The details of the Alliance's missions against Saren are classified information, but I can tell you that we've struck a serious blow in his plans.. he won't stay free for long, he will be brought to justice soon." John explained, to which Khalisah seemed a bit disappointed at. Perhaps she wanted to get some actual information on the war, which John wasn't allowed to share.

"Many people back on Earth have expressed concerns and disappointment regarding the Alliance, seeing how many human colonies like Eden Prime, Ferris Fields and Xanes have been attacked by geth forces. What do you have to say for these concerns about humanity's safety?" Khalisah asked, again pointing the microphone at John, who felt like swallowing a disgusting piece of food. The young Commander was not comfortable with that question, it made him think that this reporter was trying to expose flaws in the Alliance's leadership.

"The Alliance is doing all they can to protect human colonies, but most of them being on the verges of the Terminus Systems, makes it difficult for the Alliance to position fleets to protect them. I can assure you that the Council, and the Alliance, are not abandoning human colonies that might come under attack by Saren and the geth." John explained, knowing that what he had just said wasn't exactly true, but the last thing he wanted to do, was rile up more humans against the Council and the Alliance. Khalisah seemed to give up on that front, looking at her datapad.

"Last question, Commander. You are in command of the SSV Normandy, the most advanced warship in the Alliance Navy. How do you feel about being in the command of such a revolutionary manmade vessel?" The woman reporter asked. John quickly lifted his hand up as if interrupting her.

"Actually, the Normandy was jointly built by the Alliance, and the Turian Hierarchy. It is as much a human achievement, as it is turian. But, she is a fine ship, and I'm proud to be her commanding officer." He explained, again placing his hands behind his back.

That seemed to be enough for Khalisah, who turned to her camera drone.

"There you have it people, Commander John Shepard, a war hero from the Blitz, a prominent member of the Alliance Navy, and the first human Spectre. This is Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani from Westerlund News, singing off." The woman said to the camera, after which it deactivated itself, silently floating in the air. Khalisah then turned back to John, smiling.

"Thank you for the interview, Commander. Good luck on your further missions." The reporter said, happily waving goodbye to John, and leaving, her drone following her. After that, John took a relieved breath, being happy to not having to answer the press' questions. John had never been a fan of reporters, they always pushed their noses in things they should know aren't available for them.

Just as he was starting to make his way to the Presidium, a familiar face brought a smile to John's face. Jane was walking towards him, with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey there." Jane said with a smile, immediately locking John in a tight hug. The young Alliance officer's brother returned the hug, sighing slightly as he did.

"You always succeed in making me feel better, after something dumb has happened, sis." John said happily, still tightly hugging his sister, who laughed a bit.

"I saw. Let's hope that reporter don't make you look too dumb on TV, brother." She said with a small laugh. After a quick moment, the siblings let go off each other, still smiling a lot.

"I hope so too. So, did you just come say hi to your brother, or you have anything work related for me?" John asked curiously, to which Jane simply waved her hand.

"I just wanted to come see you, it's been long enough since the last time we talked face to face. I'll walk you to the Council chambers, we can talk on the way there." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, which was slightly covered by the blue Alliance beret she was wearing on her head. John smiled, and nodded.

"Sounds good, let's go." He said, after which Jane smiled, and began walking next to his brother, heading out of the C-Sec Academy, and off to the Presidium.

**...**

Several minutes later, the Shepard siblings were walking down one of the many idyllic walkways on the Presidium, next to the large artificial lakes and rivers, that ran across in the middle of the circular park-like space. Dozens of people walked past them, all of them commuting or just sightseeing. The various restaurants, shops and cafes all around them were filled with people of all races, it was clearly a busy day on the Presidium.

"John.. about Alan.. I can't believe he'd have done that to us... I mean.. Cerberus, how could he be part of such an organization?" Jane said, which immediately made John's face turn sour; this wasn't a topic he was thrilled to talk about. The young Commander shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know... but he definitely is not the brother we once knew... he's changed too much. I don't know what his motives are, what his morals are... he executed two of his subordinates in cold blood, just to create a disguise..." He said quietly. Jane sighed, nodding her head.

"I saw... the older brother who took care of us would never do something like that... he really is not the same person he used to be." She answered. John nodded, he knew that Alan was not their brother anymore.

As they continued walked, Jane suddenly stopped, and tugged John's arm, who turned to look at her. The young woman seemed worried, her face showing sadness.

"Alan works for Cerberus... and you took out one of their operations. John.. they might come after you, even Alan.. what will happen then?" She asked quietly. John was quiet for a moment, before placing his hands on Jane's shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"No matter what, I will protect you, and those I love... he nor anyone else will ever harm you." He assured, his voice sounding determination. Jane sighed a bit.

"I'll be fine, Johnny... but I'm worried about you. This whole war against the geth and Saren is dangerous enough, but now the only family we have left has betrayed us, and cannot be trusted... I just don't want to live my days, fearing that my dearest brother might die at any second, if not by geth or Saren, then by a Cerberus assassin..." She said quietly, a single tear rolling down her cheek. John sighed too, pulling his sister into a hug.

"I know, sis... I know. But I promise you.. I will not leave you, I will always stand by you, as a brother should. And don't worry.. I won't die anytime soon." He said, tightly holding his sister, before letting her go. Jane nodded, wiping the tears off her face.

"Yeah.. yeah, I know.. you're the Avenger of Elysium after all, Johnny.. a big war hero." She said, quietly laughing. John smiled, and patted his sister's shoulder. After that, Jane leaned her head a bit.

"Wait.. you said 'those I love'. Are you holding out on me about something, Johnny? Are you in love?" She asked, now smirking a bit, and nudging John's arm. The young Commander bit his lip, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh... no.. I mean.. I meant you and Anderson, when I said that. I'm not... in love.. or anything of that sort..." John said, stuttering a bit, and feeling slight heat on his face. Jane smirked, and nodded.

"Suuuure, Johnny. Come on." She said cheerily, prompting John to follow her.

After less than two steps, John and his sister were stopped again, this time by almost bumping into a human man, who stood in front of them. John raised his eyebrows as he looked at the man. The blonde haired man with a short beard fiddled with his hands, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"...hello..?" John said unsurely, looking at the man. Jane raised her eyebrows too. The man opened his mouth wide, he seemed nervous.

"Oh my God... you.. you're Commander John Shepard!" The man said in sheer disbelief. Jane couldn't help but smile widely, it seemed that they had just bumped into a big fan of John's. John still had his eyebrows raised, not being sure on how to take this situation.

"Uh... yes.. yes I am. Who are you..?" He asked. The man still seemed very awestruck-

"Oh. Yes! I'm Conrad Verner. I'm a huge fan, Commander. Oh my God, I can't believe it's really you! The hero of the Skyllian Blitz!" The man said quite loudly, which made Jane put her hand in front of her mouth, to hide her laughing. John started to feel quite uncomfortable.

"Uh.. right.. well, it is me." He said plainly. Conrad nodded his head quickly.

"Hey, I know you must be busy, sir.. but I just thought that maybe I could get an autograph from you? My wife would be amazed to see that I have the autograph from the first human Spectre... this whole meeting is an honor!" The man said enthusiastically. John quickly glanced at Jane, who crossed her arms over her chest, smirking all too amused at her brother.

John still had his eyebrows raised, feeling even more uncomfortable. The young Commander cleared his throat, nodding his head. Conrad happily handed him a notebook and a pen. That made John feel slightly better; he had missed the feeling of real paper and a pen in his hands, it was a rare luxury in the modern galaxy.

"Anything for a big fan.. here you go." John said, trying to sound cheery, and handed the notebook back to Conrad, after scribbling his signature on it. Conrad took the piece of paper in his hands, and held it like it was a holy relic, his eyes glimmering with awe.

"Oh my God, this is the best day of my life! My friends back home won't believe this until I show them!" The amazed young man said, looking like a child in a candy store. John hoped that would be it, but for his bad luck, Jane opened her mouth.

"Where are you from, Conrad?" She asked the man, who John swore did a small jump as he held the autograph paper.

"Oh, I live in Chicago, but I was born in Denver. I'm going to return home in a few days, I came here to see the Presidium and other sights, but meeting Commander Shepard is definitely the highlight of this trip." Conrad said, smiling widely, and his eyes still sparkling with awe. Jane nodded and smiled friendly, which only made John think she was keeping the conversation going with Conrad, because she saw that it was making him uncomfortable.

"Well, I'm sure my brother appreciates anyone who's a fan of him, and I'm quite sure there are a lot of those fans." She said smiling, and quickly glancing at John, who uncomfortably looked around.

"Oh yes, yes yes yes, there are tons of fans like me in Chicago alone, even more around Earth, and not to mention all of our colonies. The Commander is a paragon of humanity, especially now that he's a Spectre, the very first human Spectre." Conrad said happily, he clearly was proud to be a fan of John. Jane laughed a bit, and nudged her brother's shoulder.

"I'm sure my brother's real humbled to be such an icon." She said jokingly, to which John responded with a fake smirk; he wanted to get out of this conversation. Jane chuckled, noticing her brother's "agony". She then smiled at Conrad, and gently nudged John's arm again.

"Well, we need to be going, Conrad... my hero brother here is going to meet with the Council, wish us luck." She said, and took John's hand, starting to lead him away. Conrad opened his mouth, nodding, and seeming a bit nervous.

"Oh, yes, yes of course! Good luck, Commander, and Miss Shepard!" The enthusiastic fan said, as the siblings walked past him. John did a small salute with his fingers, which made Conrad's face fill with awe again. After the two had walked away from him, Conrad sheepishly made his way to the other direction, looking at the autograph paper in his hands like it was a trophy.

**...**

In a nearby cafe, a light skinned woman dressed in a black leather outfit, sat at a table, her icy blue eyes silently following both John and Jane, as the two made their way past the cafe. The dark haired woman then turned her head to the other end of the table, where a human man, wearing an Alliance navy uniform, sat down. The man's outfit had the insignia SR-1 scribbled in a patch on his shoulders, which meant that he was a crewmember on the Normandy. The man looked extremely nervous, clearly noticing John walking away nearby.

"Let's make this quick, I can't be seen around you..." The man said, quickly taking a small datapacket from inside his uniform, and placing it on the table. The woman silently took the packet in her hands.

"Does this have all the security footage we requested?" She asked, to which the man quickly nodded.

"Yes, of course, but you have no idea how hard it was for me to get that, not to mention risky..." The man said, still looking around nervously. The woman let out a small "hmm" sound, putting the datapacket into one of her outfit's pockets. She then looked at the Alliance employee.

"Relax, Roger... no one knows you are talking with a Cerberus operative." She said, to which the man, named Roger Redfield, quickly put his finger up to his mouth.

"Shh, don't even say that name... many have heard about Cerberus now, after the Alliance, helped by the Commander no less, took down your operation on Binthu." Redfield said, to which the woman didn't even change her look.

"I'm fully aware of that, and Alan's inability to keep the operation secret from the Alliance will be handled, but that information is above your pay grade anyway." She said, leaning back on her chair. Redfield nodded, humming a bit.

"Yeah... Shepard's brother works for you too it seems. Look, Lawson... this double agent stuff is really dangerous for me.. I find it very hard to keep my cover up, especially since I'm not actually working with you Cerberus people..." The man said. The woman, apparently named Lawson chuckled a bit to that.

"Just work as a normal crewmember of the Normandy, and you will be fine, Roger. Besides, what we pay you for your service, is well enough to make up for the risk you have. And remember, you are doing a favor for humanity." She said. Redfield raised his eyebrows to that.

"How exactly are you helping humanity, by spying on Commander Shepard?" The man asked, to which Lawson chuckled again.

"It should be obvious; he is the first human Spectre, answering directly to the Council. He is arguably one of the most influential humans in the galactic society right now, even if many don't realize it. These security footages you got us can give us a lot more than you think. But, this all is above your pay, Roger, and it's time for you to leave." Lawson said, looking at Redfield, who looked a bit dumbfounded, that he was so simply dismissed. Before he could say anything, a strong built bald man turned on his chair behind him, clearly signaling Roger to leave. The man silently got up from his seat, and quickly made his way out of the cafe terrace.

After the Alliance ensign had left, the bald man with a small soul patch looked at Lawson.

"You think he'll be able to continue to work for us?" The man asked. Lawson smirked a bit, and calmly took a small cup of coffee in her hands, that was on the table, and took a sip from it.

"He's a spineless coward, Mason... he'll keep working for us as long as we give him five digit salary, and assure him that he's doing the right thing. He's gullible, and that is exactly why it'll continue to be easy to employ him." She said confidently, to which Mason nodded understandingly.

"If you say so." The man said, and turned around on his seat again.

Lawson then activated her omni-tool, and opened up a transmission.

"We've got the data... Mason and I will head to HQ, Lawson out." She said into the microphone, after which she deactivated her omni-tool. The two Cerberus agents then stood up from their seats, and made their way out of the cafe, Lawson leaving a small tip on the table.

**5 minutes later...**

John and Jane walked the stairs up to the atrium of the Council Chambers. They headed towards the end of the large room, where the pedestals of the Council were located. As they walked nearer to the stairs that lead to the audience platform, John could see his team standing around nearby, all of them patiently waiting for him. As the Shepard siblings walked past them, John signaled Kaidan to follow, but leaving the others behind. Wrex grunted quietly at that, he must have wanted to be in the Council's view, perhaps to intimidate them.

John couldn't help but notice, that there were an usual amount of C-Sec officers in the area, many of them holding assault rifles. He shrugged that off, and continued to walk towards the platform, where Ambassador Udina was waiting. Walking next to him, John gave a quick nod with his head to Udina, as a greeting. Udina returned the gesture, and proceeded to turn his head towards the Councilors, who were standing on their usual pedestals.

"Commander, we're pleased to see you return from Virmire... our reports from the STG say that you were successful in destroying Saren's base of operations." Councilor Tevos said, smiling her usual warm and friendly smile. Councilor Sparatus next to her crossed his arms.

"With a nuclear device no less... you are lucky the system was in geth control, Shepard, or otherwise the Terminus Systems would have found out it was detonated by Council forces." The turian said, not with a condescending, but a relieved voice. Councilor Valern nodded his head, crossing his arms as well.

"It is fortunate, and I'm pleased that the cloning facility was destroyed. Using a cure for the genophage to breed an army of mindless krogan.. I can only imagine what kind of havoc it would cause." The salarian said. John could hear Wrex's growl inside his head, he was sure the krogan was not happy with the salarian Councilor, even if he agreed that an army of krogan under Saren would have been worse.

"Several STG personnel, as well as two of my own crew, died on Virmire..." John said, to remind the Council of the cost of the victory. They all nodded their heads in acknowledgment, and Ambassador Udina smiled slightly, being glad that John reminded them of the human losses as well.

"Their sacrifices will be remembered, Commander, even if our STG losses will be kept out of public records." Valern explained. Ambassador Udina then cleared his throat a bit.

"Ahem... I think the Commander should hear about what the Council has decided on how to proceed with the fight against Saren." The human politician said. John raised his eyebrows; the Council had decided to take further action against Saren?

"Correct, we have come to an agreement with the Alliance, on how we proceed with this war." Councilor Tevos said, looking now at Sparatus, who quickly cleared his throat.

"The Turian Hierarchy, Asari Republics, Salarian Union, and the Systems Alliance will deploy fleets to protect all of the mass relays in Council space. Saren and his geth fleet will not be able to jump anywhere without meeting a fully armed and prepared fleet." Sparatus explained. John raised his eyebrows higher, and glanced at Udina, who crossed his arms over his chest, smiling satisfactory. The young Commander then took a step forward.

"That is good, but what of the Conduit? We've found out that Ilos is where Saren is headed... the Conduit is there." John explained. Tevos stroke her chin, humming quietly.

"Ilos is beyond the Mu Relay... it's been lost for thousands of years. And I don't suppose you know where it's located." The asari said, her voice remaining calm and collected. John bit his lip. Tevos was right, but they had to reach Ilos, or else Saren would win.

"Besides... we cannot send a fleet to look for the relay.. it's in the Terminus Systems, and you know what the Citadel Fleet in that region would cause." Sparatus added, frowning his stern face. John nodded, but had to keep going.

"I know, but you can send me. The Normandy is the fastest and most quiet ship in Council space... I can find the relay without anyone noticing. We have to get to Ilos, or Saren will find the Conduit, and make the Reapers come back." The human Commander said. Councilor Valern frowned now too.

"Again with the Reapers, Commander? We've yet to see any real evidence of their existence, so putting all our faith on a myth, is irrational." The salarian said, to which Sparatus nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. Saren has manipulated you into thinking the Reapers are real... there are no reason for us to think there is other risks, than the geth." The turian said, looking at John, who bit his lip further.

"The Reapers are real! The ship that Saren has, Sovereign, is a Reaper! I talked to it on Virmire, and there are countless more of them, if they return from Dark Space!" He protested loudly, feeling slightly desperate. The Council was doing a mistake, again.

"We cannot commit ourselves to such a claim just like that, Commander... we can't send one of our own Spectres to a goose chase, when we need all the forces we have right here." Tevos explained, her voice still remaining calm. Udina nodded next to John, turning to look at the Commander.

"Shepard, this is what the Alliance has waited for; real cooperation with the other races to defend our colonies. Saren cannot attack us further, we've won, now leave it, Commander.. you're becoming more trouble than you're worth..." The ambassador said, frowning his face. John couldn't believe what was happening; his words were going to deaf ears.

"The Reapers will return if Saren reaches the Conduit! After that, we're all doomed! Send me to Ilos, I will stop him!" He said loudly, squeezing his hands into fists. Sparatus shook his head in disappointment.

"The Commander clearly won't listen to reason.." The turian said, to which Valern nodded.

"Evidently so." The salarian added. Councilor Tevos sighed, and nodded her head, looking at John again.

"Commander John Shepard, you and your crew are hereby confined to the Citadel. Your ship is grounded, and you are to remain there, or on the Citadel, on the direct orders of the Council. Disobey these orders, and you will be arrested, and charged with treason." The asari Councilor said sternly. John bit his lip, and tried to think of something to say, but couldn't. Kaidan behind him was equally dumbfounded. Jane then took a few steps forward.

"The Normandy is still an Alliance ship, Councilors. The ship and her crew could only be placed under confinement if the Alliance supported it." The young officer said. Councilor Sparatus' mandibles moved.

"But the Alliance does support the Council's decision. Isn't that right, Ambassador?" The turian asked, to which Udina nodded in acknowledgment.

"The Alliance stands with the Council." Udina said, clearly trying to appeal to the Council. Kaidan frustratingly growled behind him.

"You bastard, you're selling us out! Captain Anderson wouldn't stand for this!" The Lieutenant said angrily. Udina didn't seem to care what Kaidan said, calmly looking forward. John did wonder though, where was Anderson? Udina most likely just forbade him to come to this meeting.

"What Anderson says doesn't matter. This is for the good of humanity, Shepard.. never doubt that." The ambassador said, his voice sounding awfully pleased. John frowned deeply.

"This isn't over, Udina.." He said quietly. The Councilors seemed to have heard enough.

"This meeting is adjourned... please, Commander, return to your ship and await further orders." Tevos said, and with that, it was over. John sighed in frustration, not knowing what he could do. Udina placed his hands behind his back.

"Miss Shepard, please escort your brother back to the Normandy." The ambassador ordered. Jane looked dumbfounded as well, but kept her cool. Kaidan then turned to look at Jane, who sighed, and raised her arm.

The C-Sec officers in the area grabbed their weapons, and surrounded John's crew, keeping them in their crosshairs.

"Let's go, brother..." Jane said calmly, to which John nodded, sighing. Kaidan shook his head, and grabbed Jane's arm.

"Jane, this is not right." The Lieutenant said, to which Jane frowned a bit.

"Move, Kaidan." She said, clearly telling with her face, that she agreed, but had to follow orders.

After that, John and disgruntled Kaidan walked down the stairs to the rest of the team, who were surrounded by armed C-Sec officers. The whole group was then escorted out of the Council Chambers. As they walked with the C-Sec escort, officer Harkin stood around with a few other officers, smirking.

"Look at that. The big and famous Commander Shepard is put in a leash." The human officer said. To Harkin's displeasure, Wrex noticed him, and stomped past him quite near, looking at the officer.

"How's the nose?" The krogan asked with a smirk, as he walked past Harkin, who took a couple of steps back.

John and his team were then escorted to the elevators, several C-Sec officers keeping their weapons drawn at all times.

**An hour later...**

John sat in the Normandy's cargo hold, leaning against a wall. He had a small tennis ball in his hands, from time to time throwing it against the floor, making it bounce up, and hit a cargo container in front of him, which made the ball bounce back to John. He repeated this several times for the next few minutes, sighing long at one point. He was frustrated, felt defeated. The Council had doomed them all, Saren was going to get to Ilos, find the Conduit, and bring the Reapers back.

Still deep in his frustrated thoughts, John didn't hear as someone walked near him. He only saw the boots that stood next to him. He looked up, and saw Liara standing next to him.

"Feeling down?" She asked with a small smile. John sighed in frustration, and threw the ball away completely.

"The Council have doomed us all now.. if Saren gets to the Conduit, the Reapers will return and kill us all." He said, frowning his face. Liara placed her hands behind her back, nodding.

"Yeah.. but... we mustn't lose hope just yet... we can still get out of this, go stop Saren." She said, trying to reassure John, but to no avail.

"It'd be nice to know how exactly we could free the Normandy, and escape.. but, there is no way." The human Commander said, his voice sounding defeat.

John could then see Garrus and Kaidan walking towards him, stopping next to him too.

"That's not how a Commander talks, John." Kaidan said, looking at his friend. John raised his eyebrow at that.

"Especially Commander Shepard." Garrus added, placing his hands behind his back, and winking his eye at John, who was confused now. Then, Wrex and Tali walked to him as well, Tali fiddling with her hands like always, which made John smile just slightly.

"Commander Shepard is a strong warrior... he doesn't give up, he picks himself up, and keeps fighting. That is the Commander that defended Elysium." Wrex said reassuringly, smirking and showing his teeth.

"That is the Commander all of us follow to the ends of the galaxy.. the Commander we trust our lives to." Tali added, which made John feel warmth inside his chest.

"And that is why we all want you to stand up, and lead us to victory." Liara finished. John now smiled a bit, he didn't expect to get such support from his team. But, now he knew for certain; he had the most loyal followers and friends. Garrus smiled, and offered his hand to John, who smiled back, and took the turian's hand, helping himself up. John then looked between all of his teammates.

"Thanks guys... I.. I was starting to lose hope for real." The young Commander said. Kaidan smiled, and patted John's shoulder reassuringly.

"We and the whole crew of the Normandy are with you, you're not alone with this... and together, we'll succeed." The Lieutenant said. John smiled, and patted Kaidan's shoulder too.

"Well, now we just need to figure out how we can get out of here." He answered.

Before anyone could say anything, a surprising voice got everyone's attention.

"You don't need to think much." Joker's voice said. Everyone turned to look at the elevator, from which Joker slowly limped towards them. John raised his eyebrow.

"Oh? You have something on your mind, Joker?" He asked the pilot, who chuckled a bit, and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, Captain Anderson contacted me. He wants to meet you, Commander." Joker explained, to which John was silent for a moment, before nodding.

"Alright, where do I need to go?" He asked the pilot again.

"Casino Flux down in Bachjret Ward, he told me to ask you to hurry." Joker said, to which John immediately nodded.

"Right. I'll suit up and head right there. Garrus, you'll come with me. The rest of you stay on the Normandy." The Commander ordered, immediately heading towards the elevator, Garrus following him. Kaidan quickly caught up to him, and got his attention.

"John, there are several C-Sec officers in the hangar bay... what do we do about that?" The Lieutenant asked. John didn't have to think long before answering.

"Nothing for now, but be ready." He ordered, to which Kaidan answered with a small acknowledging salute.

After that, the group dispersed, with John and Garrus heading for the elevator.

Tali stayed still for a moment, thinking while fiddling with her hands. She then made her way to the engine room.

**15 minutes later...**

John and Garrus walked into the Casino named Flux, it was a small but popular casino in this area of the Wards. They didn't have to wander long, before they noticed Anderson and Jane sitting at a table in the casino's restaurant area.

Moment later, John and Garrus walked to the two, John sitting down at the table. Anderson smiled, as he saw his protégé sit down.

"Glad you could make it, John." Anderson said with a smile, to which John smiled back, looking back and forth between the older Alliance Captain, and his sister.

"I heard that you wanted to talk to me about something... I'm hoping it's about getting to Ilos." John said, leaning back on the chair, Garrus standing behind him, crossing his arms. Anderson and Jane both nodded.

"We have a plan to getting you and the Normandy out of here. We go against the Council's and Alliance's orders... but it's out of necessity. You have to stop Saren." Anderson said.

"And honestly... who cares if we get court-martialed for this if we save the galaxy by doing so." Jane added with a small chuckle. John chuckled too, he agreed wholeheartedly, he couldn't care less about being charged with treason, if it meant that he could save everyone from Saren and the Reapers.

"So, what's the plan?" John asked. Anderson then leaned forward on his seat, setting his elbows on the table.

"Ambassador Udina's personal computer in his office has the security clearances to override the Normandy's docking clamps. Me and Jane will go to his office, and override them, which allows you to leave the Citadel, and get to Ilos." The Captain explained. John crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrow.

"How do you know that Udina has the security clearances?" He asked. A sudden unknown voice got the Commander's attention.

"Because I told them." A female voice said, that came from behind John.

Before John could turn around, an asari walked past him, sitting down next to him at the table. The asari was wearing a blue colored armor, with the symbol of the Council embedded on it. John raised his eyebrow at her.

"Sorry, let me introduce myself. Elaina T'loren, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." The asari said, extending her hand. John shook hands with her, his face showing surprise.

"A Spectre... why did you tell this information to Anderson and my sister?" He asked the asari, who smirked a bit, and leaned back on the chair.

"Because I want you to stop Saren, simple as that. The Council has made a mistake not believing you, and I'm not going to follow them with that decision." Elaina explained, to which John raised his eyebrow.

"You're ready to disobey the Council, to get me to be able to stop Saren?" He asked to be sure. Elaina nodded.

"Absolutely.. it's not the first time I've gone against their orders and emerged as being right... this is no different. I know Saren is a real threat, and positioning fleets near mass relays isn't going to do much... he needs to be stopped for real." She explained.

"Exactly, and this is the only way for you to get out of here, John. We need to do this." Anderson added. John nodded in agreement, but wasn't exactly sure.

"Are there any risks for you just storming into Udina's office? There won't be any guards or C-Sec officers nearby?" He asked, being slightly worried. Jane hummed, and waved her hand dismissively with a smile.

"The only risk we have is going there while Udina's in, and pissing him off. Don't worry brother, we'll be fine." The young Alliance officer said with a reassuring smile. John sighed a bit, nodding his head.

"Alright... let's do it." He said, after which immediately he felt a rush of adrenaline flow through his veins. He had never disobeyed direct orders, and it certainly was exciting.. but not exactly in a good way. However, this had to be done, and he knew it.

The group then all stood up from their seats, Elaina getting John's attention.

"I'll escort you back to the Normandy, it'll give us a chance to talk more as well." The asari Spectre said. John didn't have any problems with that, and nodded with a smile.

"Sure thing." He answered, before looking at Jane and Anderson again.

"You two be careful. I'll see you when I return from Ilos." He said, his voice now confident again, which made Jane smile warmly.

"Go get 'em, tiger." She said with a wink. John laughed a bit to that, before signaling Garrus to follow him, as Elaina escorted him out of the casino.

Anderson and Jane followed along, before parting ways to head to the embassies.

**...**

Inside one of the small crew quarters on the Normandy, Tali was sitting at a table with a computer console on it. The room as empty, hence why Tali was using the computer. She activated her omni-tool, and spend a moment shifting through things on that, before activating a transmission through it to the computer. The computer's screen flickered for a second, before beginning a video transmission.

On the other side of the screen, another quarian was working on something, not looking at the screen.

"Rael'Zorah... who is this?" The quarian man asked, not bothering to look at the screen, but focusing on whatever he was doing. Tali took a deep breath.

"Hello, father.." She managed to say. Her father immediately turned his head as he heard that, quickly getting in front of the screen.

"Tali? By the ancestors. I didn't expect you to contact me... is something wrong?" Rael asked, and to Tali's surprise, his worry sounded very genuine.

Tali's father had never been really close with her, they had had a bit more distant relationship ever since Tali's mother died. Her father had ever since drowned himself with work, and not pay attention to her much at all, which made Tali basically grow up by herself, or with her aunt and uncle, who were more in her life than her father.

"I'm fine, father.. don't worry." She said, to which Rael seemed to relieve his posture.

"I'm glad. Why are you contacting me? I thought you were travelling with that human Spectre... Shepherd was his name?" The older quarian asked, which made Tali laugh a bit, as well as feel fluster on her face. Even talking about John made her blush.

"His name is John Shepard. And yes... I still am travelling with his crew and ship.. you wouldn't believe how amazing the Normandy is... so quiet and fast." She said enthusiastically, which made Rael chuckle slightly.

"You should bring her to the Fleet so we can take a look at it." Her father said, which made her laugh. After a moment, Rael got more serious again.

"But I'm guessing you didn't contact me because of that?" He asked. Tali was quiet for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yes... I need to ask you for a favor, father..." She said. Rael leaned back on his chair, nodding.

"I'm listening." The older quarian answered.

**10 minutes later...**

John, Elaina and Garrus were walking into the hangar bay, where the Normandy was located. The human Spectre had been quiet for a little while, one thing lingering in his mind.

"So... do you and Saren have some history? I got that kind of a vibe out of you, Elaina." John asked. The asari Spectre well in her matriarch years chuckled quietly, nodding.

"You haven't been among us for long, or have talked to any other Spectre, than Saren and Nihlus, so I understand that you don't know. I was Saren's mentor... I trained him as a Spectre." Elaina explained. John let out a quiet "ah", now seeing why the asari wanted him to stop Saren.

"Do you feel you failed with Saren, that you want him stopped?" Garrus asked, which was the exact question John was about to ask. Elaina was quiet, but nodded.

"Yes... I can't let one of my apprentices destroy the galaxy. I trained him to be the best... and he was the best of us, before he turned his back on everything he once stood for." She said, being quiet for a moment, but then continuing.

"I don't care what his reasons are... in the end, he betrayed all of us, not just the Council, but the entire galactic society. He'll go down in history as a traitor and a murderer.. and I'm glad to be part of bringing him down... I owe that to the galaxy for ever training such a monster." She finished, sighing a bit. John understood that, feeling a bit sympathy for the aged asari agent.

"It must be hard... having your pupil fall like this." He said, to which Elaina nodded.

"It's disappointing, above all else..." She said simply.

After that, Elaina suddenly stopped, and put an arm before John, stopping him too. The asari looked ahead of her, and John turned his head that way too. A turian, wearing a black and red armor, which had the Council symbol on it as well, approached them, being flanked by a turian and salarian C-Sec officers. There were at least four more officers further back, all armed.

"Hold right there." The turian said, clearly another Spectre, by the looks of his armor. Elaina seemed to recognize him, letting out a small snort.

"Severus... why am I not surprised?" The asari Spectre said. The turian Spectre, named Severus, stopped a meter or two from the three, frowning his face.

"What are you doing with Shepard, T'loren?" Severus asked, to which Elaina crossed her arms over her chest.

"That shouldn't be much of your concern, but if you must know... I'm helping the Commander to leave the Citadel, and hunt down Saren." She said. John and Garrus both raised their brows to that; Elaina just blurted out the plan without hesitation. The turian Spectre Severus laughed a bit at that.

"Oh really now? And how exactly do you plan on leaving? The Council gave direct orders; if Shepard leaves, he'll be charged with treason, and stripped of his Spectre status. Besides... I and these C-Sec officers behind me will not allow you to go anywhere. And since you told what your plan is, I'll arrest you right away." The turian said, taking a step towards John, who took a firm stance.

"You shouldn't do this. I am going to leave and stop Saren, no matter if you protest. Make things easy for yourself, and just let us go." The Commander said, which made Severus laugh again.

"Oh how very scary, Commander... your confidence is actually kind of cute. But you have nothing to fight with, so come with me quietly, and nobody gets hurt." The turian said. Garrus snorted, his mandibles twitching.

"We make you and your C-Sec buddies the same offer... back down, and no one gets hurt." Garrus said confidently. Severus laughed again.

"You aren't exactly outnumbering us here. But now... Commander Shepard, you're under arrest." The turian said, and quickly drew his pistol on John. In an instant, John had his pistol on Severus. The two C-Sec officers behind Severus drew their weapons at John too, and Garrus aimed his pistol at the salarian officer in front of him.

"Don't you take another step... this is a friendly warning." John said, holding his crosshairs at Severus, who smirked.

"How very intimidating. Officer Tern, apprehend the Commander." The Spectre said to the turian C-Sec officer next to him. The turian officer was however stopped by Elaina, who drew her pistol on him.

"Officer Tern will do no such thing. Now Severus, stop this foolishness, and let Shepard go... he's doing this to save all of us." The asari said, trying to reason with the turian Spectre, but Severus didn't back down.

A moment later, the four other C-Sec officers arrived behind Severus, all of them drawing their weapons at John, Garrus and Elaina.

"You are outnumbered.. lay down your weapons, now." Severus said, holding his pistol at John's face. John smirked suddenly, and shook his head.

"Now.. you are the one outnumbered." He said plainly, before whistling once.

In the following moment, the C-Sec group lead by Severus, was suddenly flanked by Kaidan, Wrex and four other Normandy crewmembers, all of them pointing assault rifles at the group. John smirked more now.

"You lay down your weapons." The human Spectre said with a smirk.

Most of the C-Sec officers glanced at each other, silently setting down their weapons. Wrex let out a loud moan.

"Aaah come on! Don't be pussies! Let me shoot you all!" The krogan growled, which made the rest of the officers set down their weapons. Kaidan chuckled at that. Severus growled in frustration, putting down his pistol as well, and having his hands up slightly. John smiled, and put away his pistol, Garrus following after.

Elaina then put her pistol away, and suddenly surrounded her body with blue biotic energy, enclosing Severus and the C-Sec officers inside a large biotic bubble. John raised his eyebrow at that, and looked at the elder asari Spectre.

"You go now, I'll hold them here." She said plainly. John didn't have much options but to accept it, since he knew there wasn't much time. The Commander then signaled Garrus and the rest to board the Normandy, while looking at Elaina.

"Thank you for this, Elaina... good luck." John said, to which the asari Spectre laughed a bit.

"You're the one who needs luck, Shepard. Now go, show Saren what true Spectres are made of!" Elaina said with a confident voice, winking her eye at John for further reassuring. John smiled at her, and quickly turned around, making his way to the Normandy with speed, Anderson and Jane would soon lift off the grounding.

**...**

Jane and Anderson stood at the door to Ambassador Udina's office. After looking around quickly, Jane activated her omni-tool, and hacked the door, opening it. The two quickly entered the office, Jane closing the door behind them.

Udina was in there, sitting at his desk, and working on his computer. The ambassador noticed the two quests and raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, God damn it..." Anderson cursed quietly, as he and Jane approached the human man, who was certainly confused.

"Anderson, Shepard... what are you doing here?" Udina asked, but didn't receive an answer. As Anderson got closer to him, Udina seemed to get nervous, lifting his arm up a bit

"I didn't send for-" Udina started, but was interrupted by Anderson sucker punching him in the face. The ambassador got knocked out, his face falling on the desk. Jane almost burst out laughing, seeing that, and lifted her hand up to her mouth, to hide her overwhelming amusement. Anderson leaned down in front of the desk, and got to work.

"Damn.. that felt good." The Alliance Captain said, to which Jane chuckled quietly, trying not to laugh loudly.

"I'm sure it did." She said, giggling quietly, as she walked next to Anderson, who worked now to deactivate the docking clamps holding the Normandy.

**...**

Inside the Normandy's cockpit, John stood behind Joker's pilot seat, having his hands on the back of it. The two waited patiently, but eagerly, looking at the holographic dashboards in front of Joker.

A moment later, the dashboard suddenly bleeped, and informed them, that the docking clamps had been disabled. John smiled, and tapped Joker's seat once.

"Yes! Get us out of here, Joker!" The Commander said, his voice full of confidence and relief. Joker chuckled, and got to work, activating the ship's engines.

Moments later, the Normandy shook itself off the docking clamps, which retracted themselves away. The Alliance ship then quickly backed away from the hangar, turning towards the Citadel's exit, and the mass relay that lied nearby. The ship's engines roared to life, and pushed the Normandy forwards, its speed increasing rapidly.

The Normandy flew past several turian warships, dodging around any and all ships, that came in her way. After flying past the huge Destiny Ascension, the ship was hailed. Joker opened the transmission, and John leaned over his seat again.

"SSV Normandy, this is Admiral Glericus of the PFS Herenal. You are to turn around immediately, or be engaged." The voice in the transmission said. Joker smirked and looked over to John.

"Cut it off?" The pilot asked with a smirk. John rolled his eyes, and nodded. Joker then laughed, and shut off the transmission.

"Good luck trying to catch the Normandy." He added, continuing his work on the dashboards, expertly piloting the ship towards the mass relay.

Several squadrons of turian and asari fighters deployed, and gave chase to the Normandy, but nothing could catch up to her. One turian cruiser fired two shots with its main cannons, both of course missing the Normandy by several meters. Nothing was going to stop them from exiting the system.

A moment later, the Normandy flew next to the mass relay, it's energy tethering with the ship, and enclosing it, slingshotting it out of the Serpent Nebula.

Inside the cockpit, John let out a relieved sigh, and tapped Joker's seat again.

"Good job.. now.. we'll need to figure out what to do next." John said. Joker nodded and did a small salute with his fingers, though not looking at John.

"Aye aye, sir." The pilot said, before returning to work.

**10 minutes later...**

John walked towards his cabin on the crew deck, he had no idea what to do next, and he needed to think in peace. Before he could reach the door, Tali coming into his view stopped him. The young quarian made her way to him, fiddling with her hands nervously.

"John... do you have a moment?" She asked quietly, to which John immediately nodded.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" He asked with a slight smile. Tali was quiet for a bit, clearly being a bit nervous.

"Well... I... we need to get to Ilos. I.. can help in that..." She stuttered quietly. John raised his eyebrows, immediately getting curious.

"Really? What can you tell me?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Tali fiddled with her hands, and bit her lip behind her mask.

"I... contacted my father. He's an admiral in the Migrant Fleet's Admiralty Board, and.. he.. gave me some information." She explained quietly, before taking out a small hard rive, handing it to John. The Commander took it, and looked at it.

"What is it?" He asked. Tali was really nervous, but got her mouth open.

"The coordinates to the Mu Relay..." She said. John's face got filled with surprise, and he looked at Tali, his eyes wide. Tali fiddled with her hands even more.

"It turns out we quarians know it's location... so.. I... got it from my father." She explained. John was still amazed, not finding any words.

"I... wow.. I mean... how did you get him to give us this?" He asked, to which Tali moved her foot on the floor a bit, looking down.

"Well... I told him that I'll give the fleet something even more valuable in return." She explained, which John immediately understood.

"The geth data I gave you." He said understanding, and Tali nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yeah... so.. I... got this for you." She said, stuttering a bit.

John couldn't express how amazed he was, he felt so much joy and hope, it made his heart race. The young Commander then suddenly let out a happy laugh.

"My God, Tali... this is awesome! We'll be able to get to Ilos, and that's all thanks to you!" He said cheerily, which made Tali blush heavily under her helmet.

"Oh.. well... you're welcome." She said quietly, trying to hide her blushing, cause she could swear that it showed through her mask. John laughed again, and almost jumped around.

"Oh, this is great, Tali! Thank you! You're beautiful, kind and so lovely, thank you for this!" He said in a happy voice. John then suddenly pulled Tali's hand, and got her closer, giving the side of her helmet a big kiss, making a "mwah!" sound. After that, John smiled widely, while Tali's eyes were wide as plates.

"I'll go give this to Joker right now. Thank you, Tali! You saved us!" The Commander said cheerily, and quickly made his way towards the bridge.

Tali stayed there, standing in place. Her eyes were wide, her face red as a tomato. She slowly placed her hand on the spot that John kissed, not believing it happened. After realizing she had not dreamed, Tali suddenly let out a quiet squeal, jumping on place once. She fiddled with her hands, and giggled, she couldn't believe what just had happened. She felt so much joy and surprise, she couldn't help but giggle and blush even more.

After a few moments, she calmed down, and cleared her throat, then heading towards the elevator, to return to work, although now, she really couldn't concentrate anymore. John Shepard had just given her a kiss, and that made her feel like she had never felt before.

****Alright, so here you guys go, the 15th chapter. **

**I'm sure all of you are glad this is released now. Trust me, I spent the entire day today, finishing this, writing over 6000 words. My hands hurt, lol. **

**I really hope you all like this, especially the Tali fluff, as well as the Spectre stuff, and of course, Conrad and Khalisah scenes.**

**Miranda and Mason, a character who will appear later, were in this chapter, since I wanted to follow up her previous short cameo, which none of you likely remember. :D**

**Anyway, have fun reading this, I'll start working on Ilos chapter as soon as I'm able. Take care guys, I know I scared a lot of you, and I'm sorry.. things just are really hard for me sometimes... but, I'll keep on trying.. that's all I can do.**

**Have a good one guys, and just so you all know... it's great to be fucking back! Keelah se'lai, and let's finish this story with a bang!****


	17. Chapter 16: The Conduit

**Chapter 16: The Conduit**

Luna, formerly simply called The Moon, was Earth's only natural satellite. Back in the year of 1969, a manned spacecraft sent by the United States of America, touched down on Luna's surface, marking it the first time humans ever set foot on the moon.

Since 2134, Luna has had several bases built on it by humans and the Alliance, the largest being the Alliance's "Luna Base", having been built in 2150.

One smaller Alliance run base, called the "Gagarin Base", was the site for several secret Alliance research and development operations. No information of those operations were given to the public, and the whole base was pretty much a black spot on the surface of Luna. No one without authorization got in, like the old secretive base in America, Area 51.

Two Alliance soldiers entered a data center on the base, both breathing heavily. After looking around, the two made their way to the large server cabinets, one of them activating his omni-tool, and hastily connecting to the servers.

"Hurry, we need to shut it down." The other Alliance soldier said, next to his colleague, who worked hard.

"I'm trying! It's blocking every attempt I make, this is not what a VI should do." The other man said, frustratingly groaning, as he continued to try to shut the servers down.

"If we don't get this VI shut down, even more people will die!" The other soldier cried out, to which the working soldier nodded, sighing.

"I know that, alright? I can't understand how it would do this... what the hell did the researches work on with this?" The other soldier said, his voice sounding both fear, disbelief, and confusion.

Suddenly, both of the soldiers' attention was taken by a nearby door sliding open. Both of the men looked at the direction of the door, and noticed another Alliance soldier slowly walking through it.

"Brad?" One of the men asked, recognizing the soldier.

The soldier however suddenly spit blood from his mouth, and fell on the floor, blood making a pool on it. The two Alliance men were shocked, one of them grabbing a pistol from his hip.

Suddenly, two soldiers, wearing white and yellow armor, charged through the door, into the data center, carrying assault rifles. Before the Alliance soldiers could react, the intruders opened fire, killing the men quickly. The Alliance men fell on the floor, their armors filled with bullet holes.

After a moment, more soldiers entered the room, all of them wearing similar armor. Their leader walked into the room now as well, his brown eyes scanning the room quickly. The leading soldier, Alan Shepard, frowned his face slightly, seeing the dead Alliance soldiers, quickly stroking his chin.

"Let's make this quick. Pavel, get to work." Alan said to one of his men, who quickly nodded, and walked to the servers, activating his omni-tool, and getting to work. Another one of his men, came closer, looking around the room.

"How many has this VI killed already?" The helmeted man asked, his voice being transmitted through the helmet's audio filters. Alan shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd say at least 60% of this facility's personnel... it went rogue just a few hours ago... lucky that we had an inside source, so we can come grab it right now." The human soldier explained, stroking his short goatee again.

"What do we need this VI for anyway? What does the boss want with it?" Alan's subordinate asked, to which he let out a small laugh.

"That's not something you need to know, so do me a favor, and stop asking such questions... we need to move fast, or the Alliance realize we're here." He said, after which the soldier let out a small "ah", and stayed quiet then.

A few moments later, the Russian soldier, Pavel, took out a small data hard drive from his armor's pocket, and inserted into the server, and took it out a few seconds later.

"Done, the AI is uploaded to this drive." Pavel said, walking to Alan, and giving him the hard drive. The soldier who asked questions earlier, looked at Alan again.

"AI? As in... artificial intelligence?" The man asked. Alan stayed quiet, putting the hard drive into his pocket.

"What the Alliance couldn't see, before all went to shit, is that the VI they were developing, actually grew too intelligent, and was developed into an AI. After it got self-aware, it naturally turned the base's defenses on the Alliance personnel. Now, we have it.. and we can put it to much better use." He explained, after which he quickly looked at his men, and then signaled them with his hand.

"Move out, we gotta get out of here quickly." Alan ordered, leading his men out of the data center then, heading towards the hangar bays.

Cerberus had now grabbed a dangerous AI right from under the Alliance's nose. What they were going to do with such an asset, only Alan knew, and he wasn't going to share it with anyone, other than his superior, the leader of Cerberus.

**...**

The Normandy travelled across the galaxy in FTL, speeding towards the location of the Mu Relay, which was given by Tali just an hour earlier. John had gathered the team to the conference room, wanting to talk to them, before they'd prepare for the mission on Ilos.

John stood in front of the hologram displayers, his team sitting to his sides, all waiting for the Commander to speak. The young human man silently turned his look to Ashley's former seat, which was no empty. A cold shiver went through his spine, and he quickly shook his bad thoughts away.

"We're heading to Ilos now, everyone. This is it... we'll catch Saren there, and end this." He said. His team, except for Wrex and Tali, glanced at each other, looking surprised, as well as confused. John hadn't told them about the Mu Relay's discovery yet.

"Wait... we know where the Mu Relay is?" Kaidan asked, to which John nodded, with a very slight smile.

"Yes. Thanks to Tali, we now know its location, and we're heading to that location right now." He explained. Garrus, Kaidan and Liara glanced at Tali in confusion. Wrex didn't seem to care, like he never did, he only wanted to get to killing geth.

"Wait a minute. You knew about it, Tali?" Garrus asked, in a slightly accusing voice, his face being frowned, and his mandibles moving. John was about to answer, but Liara quickly lifted her hand.

"Hold on, Garrus... it's likely that she didn't know, even if the quarians knew." The asari said, standing up to Tali, who nodded her head.

"I didn't know about it, until I asked my father, who is an admiral in the Migrant Fleet's Admiralty Board. He gave me the location of the Relay, in exchange of me promising to repay it with something equally valuable." She explained. Now Kaidan frowned his face a bit.

"And what would that be?" The Alliance Lieutenant asked. John now lifted his hand up, signaling Tali not to answer.

"That doesn't matter, Kaidan. What matters, is that we can get to Ilos now, and stop Saren." He said. Everyone seemed to agree with that, no one saying anything. Wrex then chuckled a bit.

"Besides, who cares if Tali wouldn't have told us about it until now? We got to piss the Council off by stealing the Normandy, which is more than fine by me. But now, I just want to kill lots of geth, and Saren." The krogan warlord said, leaning back on his chair with a self-satisfied smile.

John nodded, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Anyway, Joker told me that it'll take us at least two hours, before we get to the Relay, from there, it shouldn't take but around half an hour to get to Ilos, so everyone go get ready... we should except heavy geth resistance on the planet." The Commander said, to which his team silently nodded.

"It's such a shame some of the ruins might be damaged during the fight... I'd love to go study them there. It's so full of prothean history." Liara lamented quietly, to which Garrus laughed a bit.

"I'm sure you can return there to study the ruins, after we've beaten Saren, Liara." The turian said reassuringly. John smiled a bit, and clapped his hands together once.

"Alright, go prepare, people. I'll see you all when we'll be closer to Ilos." The Commander said, and with that, immediately left the room, much to his team's surprise.

In truth, John left anguish at that moment, he had no idea what caused it, but he needed to get to his cabin, to clear his thoughts.

Tali looked after John's quick departure, sighing quietly inside her head. She felt worried about him, of her own _nir'vallen_, which meant "special someone", in Kheelish, her native language. She was in love with that human, and she was just dying to tell that to him, after everything that had recently happened between them.

The young quarian sighed again, and got up from her seat, since the rest of the team was leaving as well.

**An hour later...**

John sat on his cabin's small couch, taking a deep breath. He had a glass of whiskey on the couch table, and a bottle next to it. The young Commander had no idea how his nerves were collapsing again, just the thought of confronting Saren again, made his heart race, and his forehead sweat. He had lost Ashley and Woodcomb the last time he fought against the turian Spectre, now John was terrified of who could die this time. His longtime friend Kaidan, respectable and loyal comrade Garrus, kind and helpful Liara, strong and powerful, but trustworthy Wrex.. or... Tali. Tali... beautiful, amazing, lovely and so innocent.

These thoughts made his hands shake. He couldn't lose anyone, not again. He was supposed to be the strong Commander, whom all of his squad would trust their lives to. That was a heavy burden, heavier than many would think. And John had lost so many men, so many good friends and soldiers, to war... it all was taking a toll on him.

He especially couldn't think of losing Tali, just the image of her lying dead on the ground, gnawed at John, tormented his mind. He didn't know why, or how it had happened, but he was infatuated with that quarian girl like a hellfire. Every time he saw her, his stomach got filled with little butterflies. Every time he looked into her eyes, his heart jumped to his throat. Every touch he made with Tali, sent shivers down his spine, they made him feel heat inside of him. He truly was falling in love with that girl, and now he knew it.

Which was exactly why the thought of losing her, made him feel the worst.

John sighed deeply, and took a sip of the alcohol, frowning his face as he swallowed the hard drink down his throat. It didn't help much, but it at least cooled his nerves slightly. After a moment, he took the glass, and chugged the remainder of the liquid, letting out a small groan, after swallowing it.

As he was picking up the bottle, wanting to pour another glass, someone knocked on his door. The young Commander looked at the door, sighed deeply, and got up from the couch, walking to the door to open it.

**...**

Tali walked out of the elevator to the crew deck. She quickly made her way around the back, entering the mess hall, quickly glancing at the door to John's cabin, which was just nearby.

She was fiddling with her hands, as usual, and slowly pacing around a bit. No one was around, save for a few Normandy crew members going about their business, no one paid attention to Tali's nervous pacing.

She had tried to work in the engine room to no avail, her mind was racing with different thoughts, and she couldn't concentrate. The battle of Ilos was coming up, and her feelings for John wanted to just push out, to which she had little to no control of. She had no idea what she should do, and that made her very nervous.

Before she could make up her mind, whether to go into John's cabin, and confess her feelings to him, or just walk away, she noticed Liara walking towards the room. The asari scientist knocked on the door, a few moments after, John opened it. Tali quietly made her way a bit farther from the room, so that John wouldn't notice her.

"Liara? Can I help you?" The young Commander asked the asari, who nodded.

"I just wanted to talk with you, John. Can I come in?" Liara asked, to which John, seemingly a bit hesitantly, nodded.

"Uh.. sure.. come on in." The Commander said, allowing Liara to enter, after which he closed the door.

Tali's heart was beating faster now. What did Liara want with John, that had to be done privately? They didn't have an affair going on, did they? Those thoughts made Tali breathe heavier. With her luck, it was exactly so; John was secretly together with that asari. Why wouldn't he? The asari were regarded as the most beautiful beings in the galaxy. And Liara was surely into John as well, who wouldn't want him? Tali certainly did, more than she could realize herself.

She had to know, she had to know if those two were involved with each other, even if it'd break her heart. Tali made her way quickly to the wall, behind which John's cabin was. She took a small circular machine from her pocket, and activated it. A bright holographic dome encircled the ball, and started floating in front of Tali. It was a small drone.

Tali activated her omni-tool, and took control of the drone, flying it around a bit. She then steered the drone to fly into a nearby air vent, which would lead to John's cabin. She had to spy on him, to know if he and Liara were together.

**...**

Liara and John sat down on the couch inside the Commander's cabin. The asari scientist immediately noticed the whiskey bottle, and frowned her face slightly in worry.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked, to which John bit his lip, and nodded.

"Uh.. yeah... I.. just needed some encouragement." He tried to explain, scratching the back of his head. Liara silently shook her head.

"If you need encouragement, you should talk to us, your team, your friends... you're not alone in this, John." She said reassuringly, but John sighed deeply.

"I... just the thoughts of losing more people because of Saren, is tormenting me. Ash... she died because I wasn't good enough to protect her from Saren... she died because of me, and I can't let it happen again..." He said, looking down, his heart aching. Liara sighed, and gently touched John's hand with her own.

"Ashley's death is not your fault, John... it'll never be your fault. She died fighting Saren, she died a hero... but never did she die because of you, John. Believe me, and all of your friends... we support you to the end." She said, giving John's hand a squeeze, and a warm smile. John smiled slightly, still feeling bad, but at least Liara's words made it a bit better.

"I just... am afraid of losing people... I've lost so many during my years of service.. it never gets better. I see all of their faces when I sleep... I just... I always just think that if I had done something different, they'd all be alive." John said quietly, looking down again.

"I understand... but you mustn't blame yourself. You have done all you can... but sometimes, that isn't enough to save some people. That still doesn't mean they died, because you had failed... it means that they died no matter what you did. That is how fate works... some things just happen.. no matter what." Liara answered, moving her finger under John's chin, lifting it up so that John now looked into her blue eyes. The asari smiled reassuringly.

"You're still the Commander all of us will fight with, to the end." She said with a smile. John sighed, but smiled now a bit. Liara's words did make him feel better.

Without another word, Liara smiled, and pulled John in to a warm hug. John sighed again, and hugged his asari friend back, closing his eyes. Of all the horrible things that had happened to him during his years of fighting, nothing could ever top his loyal and good friends. He felt so much appreciation for all of them, how they seemed to support him regardless of his weaknesses, of his low self-esteem. They were true friends.

**...**

Tali looked at the holographic screen, that was formed from her omni-tool. She had seen the conversation between John and Liara, and now she saw them hug, and John sigh, while closing his eyes.

Tali's heart jumped to her throat, she let out a quiet moan of despair and sadness, and disbelief. It was true, John and Liara were together, why else would they hug like that? And it made perfect sense too, Liara was beautiful, and Tali herself just shrouded in a suit, John not able to see how she truly was. No wonder the Commander would go for the asari.

Tali called the drone back, tears rolling down her cheeks. She collapsed on the floor, sitting down, and leaning her back on the wall. She quietly burst into tears, sobbing heavily. She was glad no one was around to see her crying.

She loved John, and she hated herself for even thinking that the Commander could feel the same. She wasn't pretty, she was a suit rat, like some people had sometimes called her. She had nothing to fight for his affection, and that destroyed her inside.

Tali buried her helmeted face in her hands, her body shaking, as she cried.

**...**

After the hug, Liara and John smiled at each other. The asari let out a small chuckle then.

"You know... I've noticed how you've acted around one of our friends." She said, smiling at John, who raised his eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, not being sure what the asari meant. Liara chuckled, and gently nudged John's arm.

"I'm talking about Tali, John. I can definitely see you are infatuated with her." She said with a smirk. John suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach. Liara was correct. He smiled, and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh... I... I don't know what you're talking about. I... I can't be that obvious, can I?" He asked, biting his lip. Liara laughed, and nodded.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one, who has seen it. You are practically glowing with pink energy, John, little hearts coming out of your body." She joked. John smiled wider now, but he didn't know how to react.

"I... do you think she's noticed? Does.. does she like me the same way?" He asked further, knowing that he sounded like a teenager girl, but, to be honest, his whole infatuation with Tali was like straight from a teenage romance film.

"Well... that is something you should find out yourself. I'm not saying anything more." Liara said with a smile, and got up from the couch. John got up too.

"Oh, and put that bottle away, John... you're better than to drink your problems away. We're all here for you." The asari said, patting John's shoulder. John let out a small laugh, and nodded.

"Yeah.. I'll put it away. Thank you Liara.. thank you for this... I needed it." He said, truly feeling better now. Liara smiled warmly, and gave him another pat on the shoulder.

"I know you'd much rather be in someone else's company, but let's hope that'll come soon." She answered, winking her eye at John.

After that, Liara walked to the door, John escorting her out. The door slid open, letting the asari scientist to exit. As she walked out, Liara noticed Tali standing nearby, looking away, while rubbing her arm, clearly being distraught.

"Hello Tali." The asari said with a smile, getting Tali's attention, who glanced at her silently.

"If you want to talk to John, he's free now. See you around." She added, smiling, and walking past Tali, who silently turned her face towards John, who stood in the doorway.

"Tali... do you.. want to come in?" John asked quietly, being surprised to see the beautiful quarian just standing there. Tali didn't know what to say, tears still ran down her cheeks, and she was thankful John couldn't see that. She helplessly looked around, not knowing what to do or say. John leaned his head to the side in slight worry, Tali was acting strangely.

"Are you alright?" He asked, walking towards Tali. The quarian's stance got stern, as if Tali was getting ready for a fight. John walked to her, looking at her with worry.

"Tali..?" He asked gently, extending his hand to touch her arm. Tali suddenly avoided John's hand, looking into his eyes, as he raised his eyebrow in surprise.

Then, out of nowhere, Tali suddenly slapped John's face. It was a hard slap, John immediately touching his cheek, that was turning red. He looked into her eyes, his face full of confusion. Tali had her hand in front of her helmet's mouth piece, her silver eyes wide. Without a word, she suddenly jumped into John's arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. John confusingly returned the embrace, not being sure what was happening at all.

"Oh Keelah! I'm so sorry! So sorry..." Tali stuttered, her voice trembling. John was really confused, he could swear Tali was crying.

"I... it's okay, Tali... I just don't understand..." He said quietly, rubbing Tali's back with his hands. Tali sobbed now audibly, making John hold her tighter.

"I... I just... I'm sorry.." Tali said, her voice sounding weak.

They then parted from the embrace, though John still holding Tali. He looked at the quarian, whose tears could be seen through the helmet. The human gently placed his hand on Tali's helmet's cheek, and looked into her eyes.

"Tell me... what's wrong?" John asked softly, to which Tali didn't know how to answer. She wasn't sure at all, if John was together with Liara, or if it was just her jealous imagination.

"I... I don't..." She tried to say, but couldn't find the words, her sobbing took over. John gently pulled her closer to him, their bodies touching each other. Tali sighed, while sobbing. She loved to be near John like this, but she was so sure, that John just did it for friendly reasons.

"Hey... don't cry.. you look much more beautiful, when you smile." John said quietly, stroking Tali's cheek. She bit her lip a bit.

"You have never seen me smile... because of this helmet..." Tali said quietly, her sobbing ending. She took a deep breath, and John smiled softly to her.

"I can imagine it already. And I know.. it's one of the most beautiful things in this galaxy." The Commander whispered. Tali opened her mouth, she didn't know how to react.

"What...? Really..?" She asked in a whispering voice. John smiled, his face moving closer to Tali's, who noticed that her face automatically moved closer to his.

"Yeah... you already are one of the most beautiful things I've seen." John whispered, his lips moving closer to Tali's helmet's mouth piece. Oh how much Tali hoped she wouldn't have her helmet right now, but she continued to slowly move closer to her love.

"I... I don't believe you..." Tali whispered, closing her eyes. John smiled, his lips almost touching Tali's helmet.

"Well, I know what I think..." He whispered as an answer. Tali's heart was racing, her face was still wet from the crying, but she felt much different now.

"Er'leth se.." Tali whispered, which John didn't know what it was, but didn't care right now.

John's lips touched Tali's helmet's mouthpiece. Tali pushed her own lips as much as she could against her helmet, wanting to feel John's lips so badly. The two held each other close, Tali's hand going through John's hair, while John had his hands on Tali's back, holding her close.

The kiss seemed to go on forever for Tali, and she loved every second of it, wanting it to go on more. She let out a quiet moan, as she imagined to feel John's lips on hers. After a moment, John parted his lips from Tali's helmet, keeping his face close to hers, looking into her eyes. She looked back at him, her silver eyes hypnotizing him.

"I..." Tali whispered, but couldn't find words.

Nearby, Liara was leaning on a wall, seeing what had happened. She smiled warmly, being happy that it had happened. Suddenly, Kaidan walked past her, looking at a datapad, seemingly wanting to go talk to John. The asari tried to grab Kaidan's hand, but missed him. Kaidan walked to John and Tali, only looking up a meter away from them, when he noticed that the two were holding each other in their arms.

"Oh..." The young Lieutenant said, his face turning a bit red. Kaidan scratched the back of his head, as John and Tali turned to look at him. Only now realizing, that they held each other in their arms, John and Tali let go of each other.

"Oh... uuh... hey.. Kaidan... what's up?" John asked, blushing and scratching his neck. Kaidan bit his lip, and chuckled.

"Uh... I could come later.. if I'm interrupting..." He said, to which John immediately shook his head.

"No no! It's alright.. go ahead." The Commander said quickly, wanting his blushing to go away so bad. Kaidan cleared his throat, and nodded.

"Well... we're approaching the Mu Relay shortly. We should suit up and prepare." He said, to which John nodded quickly.

"Yeah.. yeah, let's go." He said quickly, and turned to look at Tali, who fiddled with her hands.

"Uh.. I.. I'll see you later, Tali." John said, and quickly made his way towards the nearby elevator then, Kaidan following him.

Tali stayed there again, pondering on what had just happened. It was so fast, yet it felt like forever. That "kiss" was something she had never thought to experience, not with John definitely. Now she wasn't sure at all, that John would be together with Liara, but she still wasn't really sure either, if he had feelings for Tali herself, seeing how John acted after the kiss. But regardless, right now, she was more in love with that man, than she ever thought she had bbeen before.

But she felt confused, and needed to think on it. After a moment, she left the area too, heading for her locker, to prepare for the mission as well.

**Half an hour later...**

In the Normandy's cargo hold, John was sitting on a container box, holding his N7 armor's chest piece in his hands. He sighed as he looked at it, and at a small carving he had just made to it. It was a carving of Ashley's name.

John knew he was violating Alliance rules, by customizing his armor in this way, but he honestly couldn't care. He was a Spectre first of all, even if he wouldn't be after getting back to the Council. But secondly, there are no rules, that could get him to not honor Ash's, or anyone else's memory and sacrifice.

"I will avenge you, Ash. I will avenge everyone who has died because of him... I swear that." The Commander said to himself, frowning his face.

Kaidan walked into his view, wearing his N7 armor himself. The young Lieutenant noticed Ash's name carved on John's armor, which the Commander was holding. Kaidan came next to his old friend, and patted him on his shoulder.

"She's looking out for us, John, you honor her memory with that." The Lieutenant said warmly, patting John's shoulder. John smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Yeah... she'll be with me this way." The Commander said, glancing at the name for another moment, and then nodding his head.

"Well, Ash... let's go get that bastard." John said determinately, then proceeding to put his armor on him.

**20 minutes later...**

John stood in the cockpit of the Normandy. Kaidan, Liara, Tali, Garrus and Pressly were standing near him, everyone being quiet in this situation.

The information Tali had given John was accurate. Joker was able to find the Mu Relay, and fly the Normandy through it. Now, they were heading towards Ilos, and would be arriving shortly.

Kaidan and Pressly both kept an eye on the different dashboards inside the cockpit.

"We're there shortly, Commander." Joker notified, to which John nodded silently, placing his hands on the pilot's seat.

"Reading a few geth cruisers around the planet's orbit." Kaidan said, looking at the long range sensor readings.

"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Liara asked, her voice sounding slight worry. Joker shook his head to that.

"Our stealth systems are engaged, they won't see us unless they look out a window." The pilot said confidently. A moment later, Pressly sighed in frustration, as he looked at the sensors.

"It's no good, Commander. The Normandy can't land on Ilos, the ruins near Saren's assumed position are too dense, there is no room." The navigator said. Kaidan frowned his face to that.

"There's no room at all?" The Lieutenant asked. Pressly nodded and sighed again. John shook his head.

"We'll take the Mako." The Commander said determinately, which Pressly seemed to disagree with.

"The only clearing I can see is only around 20 meters large... you'd need at least 50 meters of clearing, for the Mako to land properly.." The navigator protested, to which Kaidan frowned his face deeper.

"20 meters? John, that is suicide. Pressly, find another landing zone!" The Lieutenant ordered. Pressly frowned at Kaidan's order.

"There is no other landing zone, Kaidan, I've looked!" He said loudly. Tali looked at the dashboards too, shaking her head.

"The landing angle would be too steep. The ship could lose control at that speed an angle." The quarian said. John stroked his chin; she had a point.

"I can do it..." Joker suddenly said. John raised his eyebrow, and looked at the pilot.

"Joker..?" He asked. Joker smirked slightly, and nodded, giving John a thumbs up.

"I can do it, Commander.." He repeated. That made John smile, and the Commander quickly patted the pilot on his shoulder, before looking at his squad mates.

"Everyone get to the cargo hold, we're taking the Mako down there. Move!" John ordered, to which his squad answered with a couple hasty salutes, before they all made their way off the bridge with speed. John quickly turned back to Joker and Pressly.

"Keep the ship in the air, Joker, I'm counting on you." He said quickly, giving a final pat on Joker's shoulder. The pilot answered with a small salute. As John was leaving, Pressly saluted him properly.

"Good luck down there, Commander. Go take that bastard down." The navigator said, his voice almost sounding proud. John smiled, and saluted him back.

"You got it, Pressly. The ship's yours now, make me proud." The Commander said with a wink of his eye. Pressly smiled, and nodded.

"Yes sir." The navigator answered, still saluting. John then made his way off the cockpit, heading towards the stairs to the crew deck, jogging with speed.

**Five minutes later...**

The Normandy flew into Ilos' atmosphere, the ship turning its belly side towards the ground, which decreased its speed drastically. The Alliance frigate approached the ground, the clouds going past it with great speed.

As the ship got to a desired altitude, its engines fired up again. The cargo hold's door opened, and the Mako suddenly drove off it, entering freefall.

The Normandy flew over the Mako, as the APC approached the ground, activating its thrusters. The small rocket thrusters decreased the Mako's speed, allowing it to land sufficiently softly on the planet's surface. After touching down on the ground, the APC bounced once, before setting down again, John slamming down the breaks, making the vehicle stop after a moment of drift.

Immediately John and the team could notice, that there weren't any geth around the area they landed on. The Commander frowned inside the vehicle's cockpit, looking around.

"It's way too quiet... I expected some resistance..." John said, stroking his short stubble. Garrus, who sat next to him on the co-pilot seat, nodded.

"I thought the sensors showed geth activity, maybe even Saren..." The turian said, his mandibles moving. Kaidan, who was controlling the vehicle's main cannon, hummed quietly.

"They might have moved on already.. we should head to that building complex up ahead.. it looks like a tunnel." The Lieutenant suggested. John sighed, and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go there. Keep sharp, everyone... they might try to ambush us." The Commander said, and pushed his foot down on the APC's pedal, making the vehicle go forward. John steered the Mako towards a large prothean ruin complex, maybe they'd find something there.

**10 minutes later...**

The Mako drove along a long cavern looking building. The high walls surrounding the vehicle, were filled with strange pod looking things, some of which stuck out of the wall. They were of prothean design, definitely, but their purpose was ambiguous.

"What are those pods?" Garrus asked, looking out of the window. Liara, who had just gotten up from her seat to see for herself, hummed quietly, after a moment of looking.

"Hmm... they might be stasis pods. Perhaps they hold prothean corpses in them; they might have tried to sleep through the Reaper apocalypse, and wake after the danger had passed." The asari archeologist said, looking at the passing pods with great interest.

Suddenly, a ray shield looking energy wall was formed several meters in front of the Mako. John immediately slammed down the vehicle's breaks, bringing it to a halt. Behind them, another wall of energy formed, trapping the Mako inside a small area.

"It's an ambush!" Kaidan exclaimed, immediately starting to move the Mako's cannon around, trying to look for targets.

"Finally!" Wrex said in a cheery voice, starting to get up from his seat, and grabbing his Claymore shotgun.

John looked around for a moment, but couldn't see any geth, which made him suspicious.

"No geth.. what is this?" The Commander asked. Garrus looked around too, but couldn't see anything. A second later, a large door placed on the right side wall next to the Mako, slid open. Kaidan raised his eyebrows, as he saw it through his periscope.

"Okay... that's ominous.." He said. Liara seemed eager to find out more about it.

"This could be a defense reaction. A prothean computer intelligence, designed to defend the inhabitants of this place, could still be very much active. That door could lead to the control room, we can disable the shield from there. At least... that's what I'm thinking." The asari suggested. John let out a small laugh, and turned the Mako's engine off.

"Well... let's go find out..." The Commander said, pressing a few buttons on the dashboard, to open the vehicle's rear door, as well as the doors to the side of the cockpit.

**Few minutes later...**

John and his team walked slowly down a pathway inside a large room. At the center of it, was a hologram projector, and seemingly a large machine, possibly a computer. As the team approached it, a holographic apparition was formed, being very distorted and static filled. John stopped a meter away from the apparition, his team stopping behind him.

"You are neither synthetics, or indoctrinated... I am relieved to have guided you here." The hologram said, its voice being surprisingly clear, considering its holographic body flickered and stuttered. John raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"You wanted us to find you? What are you?" The Commander asked, not being sure what the intelligence wanted.

"I am called Vigil. I was created by the prothean survivors, that located themselves here, on Ilos, to try to survive the Extinction. I was created with the personality imprints of Ksad Ishad, the overseer of the project." The intelligence explained. Liara let out a small "ah", smiling.

"I knew it. The protheans created an intelligence to defend them here, I'm certain that the pods we encountered just before, hold protheans inside them." The asari said.

"That is correct, all of the survivors sealed themselves in cryogenic suspension, to sleep over the Reapers' annihilation of the rest of the Prothean Empire. I was tasked to watch over them as they slept, and wake them when the danger had passed." Vigil explained. Garrus' mandibles moved, and he scratched the back of his neck.

"How can all of us understand you? You're a prothean device." The turian said in a confused voice.

"I listened in on your leader's, the human's language. I connected myself on the small machine on his arm, and downloaded everything that is in the language he speaks. Your universal translators allow you to hear my voice speaking your own language." The VI said, which made Garrus' let out a small understanding "huh" sound. John decided to get back to the point.

"So you kept the protheans asleep here. What happened? What was their mission here?" The Commander asked.

"Before the Reaper War, the scientists here researched Mass Relay technology. After the Reapers had invaded, some of the survivors of the initial assaults relocated here, hoping that the Reapers wouldn't return, after they had destroyed the planet's population once. They were correct." Vigil explained. Kaidan crossed his arms over his chest, listening closely to the intelligence's words.

"So what happened then?" The Lieutenant asked, wanting to hear more

"The leading scientists determined, that the only way for the Empire to survive, was to wait until the Reaper threat was over, so reconstruction could be started. All of the survivors sealed themselves in the pods you've seen, to wait until they could awake again. This however took much longer than expected, as the Reapers spent over a century, destroying everything, wiping out the last of prothean resistance. This meant that power shortage was imminent, which forced me to start making sacrificed, in order to save energy." Vigil said. Liara gasped slightly, figuring out what the intelligence was saying.

"You let some of the pods be shut down? Killing the protheans inside?" The asari asked in slight disbelief.

"It was necessary for some of the survivors to stay alive. I started with shutting down the personnel, lowest in rank and profession, gradually having to shut down more prominent and important personnel. One after another, I had to shut the pods down." The VI said.

"Keelah..." Tali said quietly, to which Liara agreed by shaking her head silently.

"After the Reaper threat was gone, only 12 of the highest ranking scientists remained, waking up from their centuries long sleep." Vigil said. John crossed his arms, and frowned slightly.

"I guess they were quite disappointed, to see so many of the initial survivors dead." The Commander assumed. Vigil was quiet for a second, before continuing.

"They realized that our race was beyond saving, so they turned their focus towards saving the future races. The Reapers have repeated this cycle of extinction for millions of years. Every 50 000 years, they wipe out the space faring races of the galaxy, but leaving the more primitive, undeveloped races alone. They purposely let each race, develop themselves to the same point of evolution, after which they return, and harvest them." Vigil stated, which made most of the team glance at each other in slight terror. The Reapers really had killed billions of beings for millions of years.

"But why do they do it? Why do they wipe out every advanced species?" Garrus asked, wanting to know it.

"I cannot answer that, their motives are unknown to me. All we know, is that they annihilate every developed race every 50 000 years, and leave the primitive ones alone. Their numbers are great as well, there were hundreds of thousands of them during our war, and we couldn't stop them, like no race could before us either." Vigil explained.

"So how did the scientists prepare to help the coming races in the fight against the Reapers?" Liara asked. Vigil was quiet for a moment again, before continuing.

"The scientists turned their attention towards the mass relay research again. The Reapers built the mass relays, and can control the entire network from the Citadel, which is a trap for all of the races that have used it for millions of years." The VI continued, to which John raised his eyebrow.

"The Citadel? It can control the mass relays directly? How?" The Commander asked. He had never even heard of such a thing, that the Citadel could control all of the mass relays. He didn't think even the Council knew.

"That is the trap, what the Citadel was truly built for. It houses a mass relay within itself, from which the Reapers can come through, when they invade the galaxy. After taking control of it, they can lock down entire star systems by shutting down their mass relays, which makes their work even easier." Vigil explained, to which Garrus stroked his chin, his mandibles moving a lot.

"Jesus... they could take out the Council and the Citadel Fleet in a single attack." Kaidan said quietly, realizing it.

"That was our fate, our leaders were dead before we even knew we were under attack. But that is something the scientists worked to prevent. What they did, has given you a fighting chance." Vigil stated. John frowned, and took a step forward.

"What did they do? Tell us. How did they prevent it?" The Commander asked, his voice getting a bit impatient.

"They travelled to the Citadel. The way the Reapers make it possible for the trap to work, are the keepers. The keepers were created to keep the Citadel running, but they have another purpose. Every time before the invasion, a vanguard Reaper would send a signal to the keepers on the Citadel. The keepers would then activate the mass relay inside the Citadel, which allowed the Reapers to come through. The surviving scientists travelled to the Citadel, and worked for years to sabotage the keepers, so that whenever the next Reaper would send them the signal, it would be blocked." Vigil explained, which made some of the team look at each other.

"So, they prevented the Reapers from coming through the Citadel relay this time?" Tali asked, after being quiet for most of the conversation.

"That is correct. Their sabotage of the keepers prevented the signal from being transmitted to them, which means that this time, the keepers didn't receive it from the Reaper vanguard Sovereign. However, even with this victory, you are still in danger. The indoctrinated agent, who you call Saren, has left for the Citadel, to take it over, and bring back the Reapers." Vigil said. John got startled by that, and he glared at the hologram.

"Saren's going to the Citadel? How long ago? How much time do we have?" The Commander asked quickly, being afraid they were running out of time.

"You can stop him, if you hurry. He came to me earlier, forced me to give him the code to bypass our scientists', as well as the Citadel's firewalls, so that he can access the relay network. Please, take it as well, to help you close the relay system, if this Saren succeeds in opening the way for the Reapers." Vigil said, after which a small data drive came out of the hologram's machine body. John quickly grabbed it, and put it in his armor.

"We need to hurry, Saren might already be at the Citadel. Vigil, how can we get there?" The Commander asked the intelligence.

"Through the Conduit. It lies in an alley nearby, and it will take you to the Citadel." Vigil answered. John raised his eyebrow at that, but didn't have time to ponder on what the Conduit really was.

The Commander turned around, and quickly started to make his way towards the exit.

"We need to go, people! Saren can't get his hands on the relay controls, or we're all doomed!" John said loudly, almost jogging towards the exit.

The rest of the team followed the Commander, all except Liara, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, not really wanting to leave the prothean intelligence behind so quickly. The asari scientist got a hold of her thoughts however, and turned around, jogging after the rest of the team, as they left.

"Contact Joker, Kaidan. We need to warn the Citadel and the Council!" John ordered, after which Kaidan immediately activated his commlink, contacting the pilot.

They had to hurry; they had no idea whether Saren was at the Citadel already, or not.

**...**

C-Sec Executor Venari Pallin sat in his Presidium office. The turian officer worked on his computer, filing old cases, and reading his subordinates' reports. It was an ordinary, same as always, day for the executor.

His office's door suddenly opened, and the turian saw a short blond haired human C-Sec officer, approach him, with a datapad in his hands.

"Bailey, what do you have for me?" The turian asked, as the human man walked to the front of his boss' desk, sitting down on a chair. The human C-Sec officer handed the datapad to his turian superior.

"The series of robberies down in Zakera Ward have come to an end; we apprehended the perpetrator. A salarian named Sherik Lentar, he's pending for prosecution in our jail right now." The human, named Armando-Owen Bailey, said. Bailey had been working for C-Sec for about five years. He had been a police officer in New York, before his career change at the Citadel. Being in his 40s, he had seen many things during his years of service for law enforcement.

"Very well done, Captain. You keep Zakera Ward be the least crime filled ward on the Citadel, you'll be the Executor after me in no time." Pallin answered with a slight chuckle, which made Bailey smile too.

"Thank you sir, although I don't think I'm much of Executor material... too much paper filing, and politics." The human Captain said, to which Pallin laughed.

"Hahah, you have no idea how much I sometimes miss the days of working out in the field, getting my hands dirty." The turian said, leaning back on his seat.

Before Bailey responded, a muffled sound got the two police officers' attention. The ground shook for a second, after another muffled sound. Bailey frowned, and looked around.

"Were those explosions?" The human asked. Pallin frowned, his mandibles moving, and activated his omni-tool. Another muffled explosion rang out, shaking the floor again.

"Something is wrong, go out and take a look. I'll contact the utility center, if this is just a maintenance issue gone wrong." The turian said. Bailey nodded, and quickly got up from his chair, heading towards the office's door. Another explosion sound rang out, and Bailey could now hear muffled screams and gunshots. The human officer picked up his pace, his mind filling up with worry. Was this a terrorist attack, or what?

**...**

Inside one of Presidium's air traffic control centers, its personnel worked as any other day in their life. Two of the workers, asari and a human female, glanced at each other, as they heard muffled explosions as well. An asari employee frowned her face in slight worry.

"Did you hear that?" She asked her human colleague, who sat next to her.

"Yeah... that was definitely an explosion.." The human female said, biting her lip.

The two females' salarian superior heard the sounds too, heading towards the room's door.

"I'll check what's going on, girls. Keep your eyes on the monitors, traffic might get messy." The man said, walking to the door.

The salarian opened the door, letting it slide open. As soon as it had, the man saw a glowing bright blue light right in front of him. A loud blast rang out, and the salarian fell back on the floor, his body having a large smoking hole in it.

The two women screamed, and tried to get off their chairs. Three geth troopers entered the room, shooting their pulse rifles. The two women were gunned down immediately, their bodies shot full of smoking holes.

The geth then looked around quickly, chirping to each other in their language, before heading out again, having not found anything important.

**...**

Jane ran along a hallway in the embassies. Plenty of people ran past her as well, many C-Sec officers grabbing their weapons. Several explosions and gunshots had caused panic in the embassy area, and the young Alliance officer wanted to find out, what was going on.

Arriving to the embassies atrium, Jane made her way to one of the many walkways, that were on the Presidium, which connected all the areas together. Immediately after that, she wished she hadn't.

A geth gunship flew over her, shooting missiles at the surrounding office buildings, and balconies. Hundreds of people were running for their lives, as dozens of geth troopers deployed from gunships, immediately shooting mercilessly at the fleeing civilians.

Several skycars plummeted to the ground, exploding, as geth gunships shot them down, also attacking C-Sec flown police cars, shuttles, and A-61 Mantis gunships. Missiles exploded on several buildings, stores and cafes, killing civilians, and setting fire to the trees, that decorated the Presidium's beautiful landscape.

Jane couldn't believe her eyes, taking a few steps back, while dozens of people ran past her, trying to find cover.

"Shit.." The Alliance officer said simply, and turned around, running towards the human embassy. Anderson had stayed with Udina, in the ambassador's office, Jane had to get back there.

**...**

The mass relay near the Citadel sprung to life, its rings, that surrounded the large mass effect core, starting to move fast. A moment later, several ships jumped in to the system.

Dozens of geth frigates and cruisers came through the relay for the next several seconds. The area was soon filled with geth ships, making it a huge fleet, an armada. Then, the massive body of Sovereign, jumped through the relay, a few more geth ships arriving after it. The massive fleet then began approaching the Citadel.

The ships had not been detected yet, which gave the geth the perfect opportunity to make a surprise attack. The geth cruiser in front of the approaching fleet, fired their long range missiles, which flew towards the ships that were defending the space station.

Inside a turian cruiser, named PFS Reduner, its bridge crew glanced at each other in confusing, after receiving ominous readings. The ship's captain walked to his seat, looking outside the window, squinting his eyes as he saw several small dots approaching.

Mere seconds later, the captain realized, what was heading towards them, especially after an alarm rang out, warning about a missile lock.

"Spirits! Shields up!" The turian yelled at the top of his lungs.

The order could not be carried out however, as a geth missile impacted right outside the cruiser's bridge, sending a flaming blastwave through the windows, engulfing the bridge in flames. The ship exploded, its back end being pushed back, as the front was completely obliterated.

In the next moments, the rest of the geth missiles hit their targets, destroying several turian frigates and cruisers immediately. Other ships quickly engaged their engines, taking evasive maneuvers, to avoid any more missiles. Several turian cruisers then locked their weapons at the approaching geth fleet, firing their long range missiles now. Most of the missiles hit their targets, destroying the geth ships, but some missed, as the technologically more advanced ships used good enough countermeasures against the incoming missiles.

More geth missiles flew past some turian ships, one hitting a salarian frigate, destroying it. The rest of the Citadel fleet was now heading towards the battle, many of the smaller ships moving faster than the hulking Destiny Ascension, which also moved towards the rest of the fleet. Several geth missiles hit the asari dreadnought, causing minor damage, but the ship wouldn't last for very long, if that continued.

On the dreadnaught's bridge, the asari crew members grabbed their seats, as the missiles hit the ship, shaking the bridge quite heavily, and breaking some panels around the bridge. Matriarch Lidanya, the ship's Commander, and the co-leader of the Citadel Fleet, along with the turian Admiral Glericus, took a hold on one of the bridge personnel's seats, as the shaking made her almost lose her footing.

"Activate all the defenses, man all cannons!" The experienced asari commander yelled, her heart racing in her chest. One of Lidanya's subordinates frantically worked at her dashboard, biting her lip.

"Seven ships have already been lost. There's at least 70 geth ships approaching, frigates and cruisers. They have at least 1000 fighters, our forces can't hold out against that sort of firepower, ma'am!" The asari notified desperately, falling on her seats back, sighing. Lidanya frowned, and moved to her commander's seat, slamming her fist down on the seat's back.

"Damn it! Tell Admiral Glericus to hold out with all of our available ships! We can't let them reach the Presidium!" Lidanya yelled, looking at the monitors, which showed the massive geth fleet, and Sovereign at the back of it.

"Goddess.. what sort of a monstrous ship is that?" One of the bridge crew said, her eyes wide with fear. Lidanya shook her head, wanting to contain her crew's nerves.

"Doesn't matter, we need to rally our defenses!" The Matriarch ordered, trying to sound as powerful as she could.

"Ma'am, we just heard; the geth have infiltrated the Citadel. Presidium is under attack, they're in total chaos down there!" One of the communication officers exclaimed. Lidanya's heart jumped to her throat. The geth were already attacking the Presidium?

"Goddess. Alright, bring the ship around! We have to get to the Council, evacuate them!" The Matriarch ordered, her crew getting to work immediately, to turn the massive dreadnaught around.

"Scramble all our fighters, they need to join in with the rest of the fleet." Lidanya added, starting to make her way off the bridge. One of the crewmembers turned around on her seat.

"Every one of them, ma'am?" The asari asked. Lidanya suddenly turned around, her face filled with fear, determination, and anger.

"Everyone!" She yelled loudly, which made the questioning crewmember turn back around on her seat, keeping her thoughts to herself. Lidanya then made her way off the bridge, this was a bad situation brewing to be a disaster.

The Destiny Ascension then started turning around, several geth missiles and cannon rounds hitting its side during the maneuver. Asari cruiser Nefrane moved past the dreadnaught, providing the Citadel Fleet's flagship with some more cover.

**...**

Jane arrived at Ambassador Udina's office. Two Alliance soldiers were entering the room, as Jane joined them. Both of the men had assault rifles ready, preparing to defend humanity's representative in the galactic community.

Jane noticed Anderson, as soon as she entered the office. The experienced Alliance Captain stood next to Udina, who had a black eye, and was most likely still enraged at Anderson, as well as Jane. Geth gunships flew past the office in the background, missiles hitting everywhere nearby. Udina looked extremely scared. Anderson simply checked his pistol, preparing it.

"We need to get out of here, Anderson. Shepard, are there any evacuation shuttles nearby?" The human ambassador asked, his voice trembling slightly. Jane shrugged her shoulders, taking a pistol from one of the Alliance soldiers, who handed one to her. The female officer loaded the pistol.

"I'm not sure, but we can't stay here, we need to move." Jane said simply, stopping near Anderson, who nodded.

"We'll keep you safe, Ambassador... just stay near us." The man said, and signaled Jane to take point, leading the group.

Jane walked back to the office's door, having her pistol at the ready. The two armored Alliance soldiers held their weapons ready as well, as Jane took cover at the wall next to the door, hitting the console to open it.

As soon as the door opened, the group could see people getting gunned down by the geth. Before they could react further, a geth trooper charged towards the office, its pulse rifle aiming at the two Alliance soldiers.

As the synthetic came through the door, Jane dropped her pistol on the ground, and slammed her hand down, which made the geth soldier's weapon point towards the ground. The geth couldn't react fast enough to that, and shot the floor, after which it turned its flashlight head towards Jane, who grabbed the synthetic soldier by its neck, taking a hold of the tubes that ran to its head.

The young officer athletically pulled the geth soldier down with her body, as if swinging under it, sliding to the side. The geth trooper slammed its head and entire body on the floor, its flashlight sensor head being crushed from the impact. The geth screeched in its electrical voice, reacting to the loss of its "eye". The two Alliance soldiers then shot the lying geth trooper, destroying it.

Immediately after that, two more geth troopers entered the room, shooting their pulse rifles. One of them hit the other Alliance soldier, piercing his armor, and killing him. The other soldier caught his dying colleague, and held his body.

Jane quickly swept her leg under one of the troopers' feet, making it fall back on the floor. Anderson then pushed Udina out of the way, and aimed his pistol at the other geth soldier, firing at it. The shots pierced the trooper's head, and made it fall to the floor, destroyed.

Jane quickly got up, and got on top of the downed geth soldier, smashing her booted leg on its head, crushing it. The synthetic soldier reacted by lifting its arm, but that soon fell on the floor as well, as the trooper's motor systems deactivated. After all that, Udina breathed heavily, as if he had just climbed a mountain.

"My God... this is a nightmare." The ambassador said with a terrified voice, as he looked at the Alliance soldier, holding his dead friend's body. Anderson sighed, and helped Udina on his feet. Jane took a deep breath, and grabbed the pistol from the floor. She sighed too, as the other Alliance soldier let his friend go, setting him on the floor, and taking his assault rifle again.

"Let's just get out of here. Stay sharp everyone." Jane said, swallowing, her heart racing in her chest. This was the first time she was in real combat, and it certainly made her feel slightly scared. But, like she had just demonstrated, her training was beyond regular Alliance combat training.

After that, Jane moved to the door, and peaked to the hallway. Not seeing more geth, she signaled Anderson and the surviving Alliance soldier to follow her. The group then started making their way towards any safety, if there was such thing left on the Presidium.

**...**

Captain Bailey ran in the Presidium walkways, keeping his head down to avoid any stray rifle shots from hitting him. The trees and bushes near him were on fire, pushing thick smoke in the air, which made the middle aged C-Sec officer cough.

Out of the blue a Mantis gunship, employed by C-Sec, spun in the air over Bailey, plummeting towards the ground. The gunship's flaming body came down right on top of a small terrace-styled restaurant, next to one of the artificial lakes of the Presidium, exploding on impact, destroying the entire restaurant.

The human officer noticed a pair of fellow C-Sec officers nearby, a turian and a human, taking cover behind a wreck of a downed skycar, geth pulse rifle rounds flying over their heads. Bailey made his way to them quickly, taking cover behind the car as well.

"Give me a sitrep!" The Captain ordered. The turian officer next to him quickly sprayed fire with his assault rifle over the car, before returning to take cover.

"The geth have us pinned down. We've lost dozens of officers, not to mention hundreds of civilians." The turian officer said. Bailey sighed in frustration, and thought for a moment.

"Alright... do we have a rally point? Have you heard any word from Executor Pallin?" The Captain asked. The human officer near him shook his head.

"Not a single word, sir. We're cut off from everyone, comms are down." The human man said, blindly shooting his pistol over the wrecked car.

"Damn it. Alright, you two come with me, we need to find others, get this situation under control." Bailey said. The turian officer nodded his head.

"Lead the way sir!" The officer said, the human colleague nodding in agreement.

Bailey then lead the two officers away from the car wreck, all of the crouching down, to avoid geth fire. They needed to regroup with other officers and soldiers, they'd get killed by themselves in this chaos.

**...**

Saren and a platoon of geth troopers, walked in the walkways, being surrounded by fire. The group headed towards the central elevator, that would take them to the Council Tower.

The turian Spectre, moved at the head of the platoon, his geth troops executing civilians and setting fire to buildings all around him. Saren had his eyes locked in with the elevator. Soon, his plans would come to fruition.

As they approached the elevator, a sudden noise got Saren's attention. The turian looked to his side, and noticed a wounded turian C-Sec officer sitting down, leaning on the wall, coughing blue blood.

"Saren..." The turian said, while coughing blood. Saren looked at him, the Spectre's eyes glowed bright blue, not natural at all anymore.

"Enermus..." Saren said, recognizing the officer. He had served with the turian man in the army, many years ago.

"How could you..? You had principles... morals... this is not you..." Enemus said weakly, trying not to lose consciousness. The Spectre traitor frowned, and took a few steps towards the wounded officer. Saren knelt down in front of his old comrade, looking into his eyes.

"This is for the good of the galaxy, Enermus. When I succeed, everyone will see.. it will be perfect." Saren said, sounding zealous. Enermus shook his head, weakly coughing.

"Listen to yourself... you talk like a fanatical lunatic. How is a galaxy filled with death a perfect place...?" The weak turian asked. Saren frowned more, and got closer to his old comrade.

"There will be peace... order, security, and change... it will be a perfect galaxy." The turian Spectre said. Enermus chuckled, and shook his head.

"I'm sad that you will believe that until you die... which will happen soon. I'm ashamed to have fought beside you... you are... a mistake..." The turian said, coughing up more blood.

Saren got up silently, his mandibles moving. He then signaled a geth prime behind him, who approached the wounded officer. The large geth knelt down, and grabbed the turian officer by his throat. The prime then held Enermus in the air, almost crushing his throat.

"The ironic thing is, Enermus.. that you die already." Saren said plainly, and signaled the prime. The geth then squeezed its hand, crushing Enermus' throat, and spraying blue blood all around. Saren smirked, and casually moved over to the elevator.

After a moment, the turian Spectre was in the elevator, several geth following him in. The doors then closed, Saren leaving one last smirk, as the doors were closed.

**...**

The Mako arrived to a large valley on Ilos, clearing out a complex of prothean ruins. John, and his entire team gasped, as they laid their eyes on the Conduit. It was a miniature mass relay, looking exactly like any other relay, but being tenth of one's size.

"The Conduit! It's a relay?" Garrus asked, being surprised. Liara let out an enthusiastic "ah".

"That is how the scientist got to the Citadel! John, we must go through it now, we are running out of time!" The asari said in a hurry. John nodded in agreement, slamming the accelerator down.

The Mako drifted in place for a second, before starting to rush down the hill to the center of the valley, where the Conduit lied. The APC shook around, as the road was bumpy. John's heart beat faster and faster, as they approached the relay. They were closing to the end.

John suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he quickly glanced at it. Tali squeezed his shoulder, moving her head to his ear.

"We'll do this together. I won't leave your side." She whispered to him. John smiled, his heart feeling warmth. He loved Tali, and he swore, he would lift her up, and kiss her, after this was done.

The Mako then activated its thrusters, lifting the vehicle into the air. The Conduit's energy surrounded the vehicle, just like any other mass relay, and slingshot it into the skies.

The end was near... soon, Saren would be beaten... or the galaxy would be doomed.

****Alright, here ya guys go, chapter 16! :P**

**So, first things first... that Tali/John "kiss". I think I'm correct to assume, that most of you will love it. Sadly though, I can't make those to get together. Not yet. It just... it would kinda ruin the things in ME2. However, I will see what to do with this now, make it okay that they won't be together yet. Anyway, I hope you will like that scene, I certainly loved to write it.**

**Some of you might recognize the "Everyone!" line, Matriarch Lidanya says. It's from a Gary Oldman movie, definitely overacting from him in that famous scene. :D**

**Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was nice to include Bailey, and I hope you won't think it's another stupid ME2 character cameo. Also, I hope you like Jane's action scene. She is a badass, and I love writing her. :)**

**Also, I want you guys to try to guess, what Tali said just before the kiss. xP**

**Well, have fun reading this, and please, write reviews, let me know what you think. Thanks a lot, for everything you've done for me.**

**One more chapter to go! Let's end this thing, and get ME2 started!**

**Thanks, and stay safe, you guys!****


	18. Chapter 17: One Last Battle

**Chapter 17: One Last Battle**

The Council Chambers was filled with security personnel and C-Sec officers. The Council's personal bodyguards were escorting the three Councilors towards the Council Tower airlock, from which they could enter the Destiny Ascension, which had just arrived to evacuate them.

Asari Councilor Tevos walked with her personal guard, Spectre Elaina T'Loren also walking next to her.

"This can't be happening.. how did the geth attack Presidium directly?" The Councilor said in sheer disbelief. Elaina couldn't answer that, she had no idea how Saren had done it, but that was the situation they were in right now, and they had to deal with it.

"I don't know ma'am, but rest assured, Saren won't succeed." The Spectre veteran said, escorting the Councilor to the airlock, where Councilors Sparatus and Valern were waiting, with their personal guardsmen. Elaina's Spectre colleague Severus was with them.

"We will keep Saren busy, while you get to safety, Councilors." The turian Spectre explained. Sparatus' mandibles moved relentlessly.

"Can you really stand a chance against him, Severus? I don't know if you have enough men to fight against his geth." The turian Councilor said, showing worry of the situation. Severus raised his hand, and struck a slight smile.

"We're professionals, Councilor, and Saren was one of us... we know his tactics. We can beat him." The turian Spectre said reassuringly.

After that, Councilor Tevos joined her colleagues, their guards keeping close to the Councilors. Elaina and Severus stood next to each other.

"Good luck, you two. Should you fall... your sacrifices will be honored, I promise." Councilor Tevos said, her voice sounding slightly fearful. Elaina smiled slightly, trying to reassure the Councilors.

"We're Spectres, ma'am... doing this is the greatest honor for us both." The asari matriarch said confidently.

With that, the Councilors left, slight guilt on their faces. The airlock's doors closed, sealing the Council and their guards in, so that they could enter the starship. Elaina and Severus turned around, walking towards the center of the Chambers, several C-Sec officers and other Council employed soldiers going with them.

This would be where they made their last stand. If Saren was to come to the Chambers, he'd face them, and they would fight until the end.

After several moments, sounds of gunfire erupted near the elevators. Elaina and Severus heard that, knowing that the men that were stationed to protect the elevators, were in a fight. Saren was coming.

"Any last words, Elaina?" Severus asked, taking his M-77 Paladin pistol from his hip. Elaina took deep breath, shaking her head.

"Even if we die.. we'll stop him. And if not us... then Shepard will..." The asari said, squeezing her hand into a fist, which started to glow with biotic energy.

"You really think Shepard made it? What if Saren has killed him already?" Severus asked, being unsure. Elaina shook her head.

"I'm sure he's still alive. But right now...we have to face Saren. We'll give him everything we've got... let's see if it's enough." She said, frowning her face. Severus nodded, agreeing.

"That we will." The turian said, taking a readying stance. He looked at the soldiers with them, who all got ready, many crouching down, and aiming their weapons towards the stairs, that lead to the elevators.

"Be ready, people. They will remember us for this." Severus said to them all, his mandibles moving.

After a moment, the gunfire near the elevators stopped, and the group could then hear the metallic footsteps of dozens of geth approaching. Elaina's heart beat fastened, and she knew everyone's else's did as well.

This was it.. the moment of truth, either they'd succeed in stopping the geth and Saren, or they'd die heroically.

**...**

The mass relay statue in the Presidium suddenly came to life, its core glowing, and pulsating, the rings around it moving fast. Two geth troopers stood near the statue, noticing that.

Suddenly, the Mako jumped through the relay, flying through the air. It plummeted down to the ground, catching the two geth by surprise, crushing them under it, while it rolled on the ground, coming to a halt at a wall, stopping upside down.

A moment later, the hatch that lead into the vehicle was kicked open. The door flew off the APC, falling to the ground. Wrex crawled out of the Mako, John and the rest of the team following shortly after.

As soon as John got on his feet, he could do nothing but slightly gasp, as he saw the Presidium in flames. Entire buildings were engulfed in fire, several bridge-buildings, that ran over the artificial lakes, had collapsed into the water.

"Goddess..." Liara said quietly, as she looked around. John couldn't believe how the geth had destroyed the idyllic Presidium so totally, everything was on fire, or destroyed. A geth gunship flew over the team, firing missiles into nearby office buildings. They could hear gunfire somewhere nearby; some C-Sec officers were still alive.

"We need to get to the Council Tower, Saren might already be there." Garrus said, breaking the silence. John quickly nodded, swallowing audibly.

"Uh.. yeah, yeah... come on people, let's go." He said, his voice sounding insecure. John then lead the team to walk to the direction of the elevators, that would take them to the Council Tower.

As they walked, John's heartbeat got quicker and quicker. He was still scared of failing, of losing against Saren. But he had to stay strong, for his team, his friends; they were all depending on him, which certainly put a lot of pressure on the Commander.

Tali gasped quietly, as the team walked past several bodies of civilians, and C-Sec officers alike. Some bodies were charred from fire, which was a gruesome sight. They had to stop Saren, before more people would die.

**...**

The PFS Herenal, the Citadel Fleet's second flagship, was floating stationary near other turian ships, as it fired at the attacking geth fleet. The Herenal was a turian dreadnaught, around 950 meters in size. The dreadnaught as well as several turian cruisers and frigates, fired all of their cannons at the geth ships, that pushed on towards the Citadel relentlessly.

The geth had lost over 26 ships so far, while the Citadel fleet had lost around 10. Nevertheless, the geth fleet was pushing dangerously against the turians, salarians, and asari, and would soon overwhelm the fleet.

Admiral Glericus of the Herenal, sat on his commander's seat inside the ship's large bridge. The turian admiral's mandibles moved a lot, as he was nervous. The man tapped the armrest of his seat with his fingers.

"Admiral, we just lost contact with the Serenol!" One of the bridge crew shouted from their seat. A moment later, the admiral could see a turian cruiser, the Serenol, explode nearby.

"Spirits... this is getting out of hand." Glericus sighed. The admiral then squeezed his hand.

"Alright. Move the left flank to reinforce the Irun, the salarians are getting swarmed." He ordered, to which some of the bridge crew answered with nods.

Suddenly, the bridge shook around, as a geth missile hit the ship. Glericus took a hold off his seat, some of the crew staggering around, as the ship shook.

"Damage report!" The admiral yelled. A turian female, in charge of keeping tabs on the ship's performance, checked her dashboard.

"Decks 14 and 15 suffered damage, a hull breach and fires. Sealing those down." The crewmember said, getting to work on her console. Glericus sighed deeply, leaning back on his seat. A couple of geth ships exploded outside.

"Hold our position, we need to keep those ships away from the Citadel." The admiral then said, stroking his chin.

The battle continued to ravage outside, turian and asari fighters clashing against the fighters sent by the geth. Several fighters were lost in mere seconds, and many individual dogfights began.

**...**

Captain Bailey walked past several C-Sec officers, who were stationed at an entryway to the Wards from the Presidium. Dozens of civilians were escorted to the Wards to safety, and the rest of the officers got into positions to defend this small safe area from the geth.

The human Captain saw a turian officer nearby, who oversee the operation. Bailey made his way to the turian, recognizing him.

"Captain Chellick." Bailey said, stopping near the turian. Chellick noticed Bailey, and nodded as a greeting.

"Captain Bailey, I see you're still alive." The turian officer said, quickly looking around, to see that everything continued to go as planned.

"Any idea on the casualties we've suffered..?" Bailey asked, looking at several wounded officers and civilians, who were being escorted to safety.

"I can't even think of an estimate, hundreds, could be thousands... our fleet is getting pounded as well." Chellick said in a bleak voice, holding an assault rifle in his hands. Bailey sighed, he knew the battle was going bad for them, the geth had caught them by complete surprise.

"Alright... has Executor Pallin given any orders?" The human then asked, to which Chellick shrugged his shoulder.

"We haven't heard from him... last I heard, he and some other officers were held up at his office... I don't know if they're still alive, it doesn't really matter. We have to get these civilians out of here, and then commit to defending this spot." The turian Captain explained. Bailey nodded, but frowned his face.

"What about the civilians and officers who are still alive out there, in the Presidium?" The human asked. Chellick frowned, his mandibles moving.

"There's nothing we can do for them, Bailey. We need to just keep these civilians safe, as well as ourselves. If you want to throw your life away, go try to save everyone. Otherwise, grab a rifle and help us." The turian said, his voice stern.

Bailey was about to protest, but kept his feelings to himself. Chellick was right, there was no purpose to throw their lives away, the civilians and wounded officers right there depended on them. The human officer then walked to a weapons crate, grabbing a rifle, and then making his way to the other officers, who stood by, keeping an eye out for any geth, that might come their way.

**...**

Jane and Anderson walked side by side in a small area secured by the Alliance and C-Sec. They were still at the Presidium, but the apartment they had cleared out, provided them with a safe haven from the geth. Ambassador Udina, as well as some other civilians, sat around, all being very nervous. Jane and Anderson stopped by the apartment's balcony, looking outside, and seeing the Presidium on fire, as well as geth gunships flying around, hunting any survivors.

"I wonder if John made it..." Jane said quietly, leaning on the wall, looking outside. Anderson let out a quiet hum, nodding his head.

"I'm sure he did, Jane... your brother is the strongest fighter I've ever known." Anderson said reassuringly, gently patting Jane's shoulder.

"I can't believe it's been eight years, since you took me and Johnny under your wing, you've been such a friend to both of us. And, I know my brother holds you in very high regard... I think you remind him of our father..." Jane said quietly, looking at Anderson with a warm smile. Anderson smiled too, looking outside.

"You know I care about both you immensely, Jane. I've never had children... but if I did, I'd want them to be like you and John. For what it's worth, I'm glad I met the two of you that day eight years ago." The elder Alliance Captain said with a smile. Jane smiled more, and sighed quietly, before hugging Anderson. The Captain smiled, and hugged his protégé back.

"Thank you, for being in our lives." Jane said quietly, smiling. Anderson closed his eyes, and hummed quietly.

"Hmm. I'm glad to be in your lives, Jane. John will succeed, I'm sure of it." The Captain said softly, still hugging Jane.

Both he and Jane wished from the bottom of their hearts, that John was alright, and would stay safe, during this fateful battle. He meant the entire world for Jane and Anderson.

**...**

John stood silently in front of the elevator to the Council Tower. His team was nearby, Garrus, Kaidan and Wrex looking around, if they could find any survivors, or something useful.

The Commander stared quietly at the elevator, nervously squeezing the M-6 Carnifex pistol in his right hand. He was extremely nervous, fearful, and even slightly terrified. Ash had died the last time he fought Saren, he still was afraid of losing someone else this time. He knew he had to stay strong for his team, he was their Commander after all, but right now, his nerves were getting the better of him.

He heard someone walk next to him, but didn't pay much attention to it. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his. He looked down, and could see Tali's three fingered hand, taking his hand into hers. The quarian looked towards the elevator too. John turned his eyes towards her helmet face, and she then turned to look at John too. Her silver eyes filled John with a warm feeling, but he was still nervous.

"It's alright." Tali said quietly, almost whispering. John raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not being sure. Tali looked into his eyes, and John could almost see her smile behind the helmet.

"You're nervous, afraid... I can see it. It's going to be alright... you're the strongest person of us all... you will prevail." She said reassuringly. John suddenly felt like a stone was dropped on the bottom of his stomach, she was right.

"I... I'm just afraid... I can't lose more people..." He said quietly, slightly squeezing Tali's hand. Tali felt that, and squeezed the Commander's hand back.

"Hey... we are all behind you, John. We'll fight beside you until the end... you are not alone. You have our full support..." She said. John sighed deeply.

"I know that, Tali... I'm just... unsure of my ability to lead us to victory. Last time we fought Saren... we lost... Ash and Woodcomb died... I... I failed..." The Commander said quietly, feeling like a single tear would roll down his cheek. Tali then sighed too, and quickly walked in front of John, grabbing his hand, and holding it in both of her hands. She looked into John's eyes.

"You did not fail, John... and neither will you now. We will defeat Saren... you will defeat him. You have our support, and we'll fight with you to the end. And... after we've won today.. I'll take you to the Fleet." The quarian girl said quietly. John looked deeply into her eyes.

"You will...? Why..?" He asked quietly. Tali smiled behind her helmet, and softly moved her hand to John's cheek.

"To show everyone there, what an amazing man saved the entire galaxy." She said with a small laugh. John raised his eyebrow, smirking a bit now.

"You'd show me around like a trophy?" He asked, to which Tali laughed a bit.

"No, I'd just show them how amazing you are. And of course, tell them that I helped you defeat the greatest threat to our galaxy." She answered with a smile, which John couldn't see. The Commander then smiled, and moved closer to Tali, looking into her eyes.

"Well.. you're more amazing than me..." He said quietly. That made Tali smile more, and feel slight heat on her cheeks, as she blushed.

"I..." She tried to say, but Kaidan and Garrus suddenly walked to them, Liara and Wrex following behind.

"We should move, John... Saren has to be stopped before he can do what he plans." Kaidan said. John bit his lip, knowing that. The Commander then nodded.

"Yeah... right. Okay, let's go people... time to save the galaxy." John said, letting go of Tali, who gave one last squeeze to his hand.

John then lead his team to the elevator, and activated it, the doors closing after that. They were getting close, Saren would be in the Council Chambers.

**...**

Elaina groaned, as she slowly crawled on the floor. Her body had a few smoking holes in it, and the asari Spectre groaned in pain, as she tried to move. She looked around herself, seeing all the dead soldiers around her. She turned to look the other direction, and saw the body of Severus.

They had fought bravely, they had taken out over a dozen geth soldier, but it wasn't enough. One after another, the geth had killed the soldiers and C-Sec officers, Severus also being cut down by their relentless fire. Elaina had been shot multiple times too, and she was the last one to be still alive, albeit severely wounded.

Two geth troopers then approached the asari, their pulse rifles aimed at her. Before they could execute Elaina, a voice was heard.

"No." The voice said, stopping the geth. Elaina recognized that voice all too well.

The asari Spectre groaned in pain, as she turned to look at the direction of the voice. Saren approached her, his eyes glowing brightly blue, which made Elaina's eyes widen. That was not normal.

"Elaina..." Saren said quietly, stopping near the asari, looking at his former Spectre mentor. Elaina groaned again, and frowned.

"What? Here to gloat me, before you kill me?" She asked, coughing up a small amount of blue blood. Saren frowned.

"You could have joined me, Elaina... together, we could have changed the galaxy. You were my mentor.. you taught me everything I know... you should have been beside me at this moment, not against me." The turian said, to which Elaina scoffed at.

"I failed you, Saren... I failed in my teaching... you wouldn't have fallen this far, if I didn't fail training you be a good Spectre. You were one of the best... maybe the best.. but now.. you're just a sick and evil husk of what you once were." She said, frowning deeply. That made Saren frown deeper as well, and he grabbed his M-77 Paladin pistol, aiming it at Elaina's head.

"The only thing you failed at, was to fight against me. You nor anyone else will ever stop me... the change on the galaxy is inevitable, the Reapers will purge it from filth, and usher in a new age of perfection!" The turian said, his mandibles moving. Elaina shook her head in disappointment.

"Poor boy... you will not realize your errors until it's too late... and you've already fallen beyond salvation. I hope your spirits will give you mercy in afterlife... because you will be punished otherwise. I failed you, Saren... and I'm ashamed of that. I die knowing that I failed everyone, by allowing you to become this..." She said weakly, coughing again. Saren frowned, and aimed his pistol right at Elaina's forehead.

"You're right about one thing. You will die now. Goodbye... my old mentor..." The turian said, frowning. After a few moments of slight hesitation, Saren gave his final look for Elaina, who closed her eyes, with a slight smile. Saren frowned deeply, and pulled the trigger on his pistol. The shot pierced Elaina's head, spraying blood from the back of her neck. The asari Spectre then lied on the floor, dead.

After that, Saren took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Moments later, he opened his eyes again, and frowned slightly. The turian Spectre then made his way to the audience platform, which was nearby. After walking to the end of it, Saren activated a holographic interface, and started working on it.

**...**

The Destiny Ascension had joined the rest of the Citadel Fleet, carrying the Council with her. However, the geth ships had pushed forward more, destroying several more ships. Now, the entire Citadel Fleet was surrounded, the geth fleet working their way to finish the pinned ships off.

Sovereign suddenly sprung to life, and started approaching the Citadel with great speed. The massive Reaper flew past the geth fleet, and the pinned down Citadel Fleet, not paying attention to the fighting. The hulking ship moved in on the Citadel, the space station's arms beginning to close.

The Citadel could seal off itself in cases of imminent danger, to protect the inhabitants living there. Now, Saren was using it to his and Sovereign's advantage, to prevent anyone from getting to the Presidium, and the Council Tower, from the outside.

Sovereign moved inside the closing arms, the Citadel being sealed off completely after the Reaper had entered. Sovereign then descended towards the Council Tower, spreading it's tentacle-like legs open, as it approached the tower.

After a moment, the hulking Reaper slowed down, and wrapped its legs around the Council Tower, burying the top of it under the Reaper's massive body. Sovereign then stayed still, assumingly waiting for Saren to grant it access to the Citadel's systems, so that the rest of the Reaper could be summoned.

**...**

The elevator arrived to the Council Chambers, its doors opening, and allowing John and his team to enter. Immediately the strong smell of smoke filled John's nose, and he frowned. He and his team could see several bodies, of geth, and C-Sec officers. There had been a fight earlier.

As they walked further in to the Chambers' atrium, the team could see more dead bodies, as well as the decorative gardens on fire. At the top of some stairs, they could see a few geth troopers. The synthetics noticed the approaching team, and quickly yelled in their electric language, assumingly calling in the rest, who were held further back.

The geth quickly opened fire on John and his team. Liara suddenly lunged forward, and formed a biotic shield around the team, protecting them from the fire.

"John, biotics!" The asari shouted. John figured out, what she wanted, and smirked slightly. The human Commander surrounded his body with blue biotic energy, charging up his powers.

"Get to cover, everyone!" He ordered, which made the rest of the team take cover.

After that, John and Liara unleashed their powers, pushing forward a massive wave of biotic energy. The energy wave obliterated the trees on fire, and approached the geth, some of who tried to run away. The energy wave hit the geth, destroying them, and pushing their bodies in the air. A geth prime got caught in it as well, but remained intact, and mostly unharmed.

After that ordeal, John and Liara took cover as well, the geth prime and other geth, who had arrived, firing on their position. The human Commander bit his lip, preparing his pistol, they'd need to get through the geth, before getting to Saren. John looked at his team, nodding confidently.

"Let's give these bastards everything we've got!" He said loudly, before emerging from his cover, shooting relentlessly at the geth. Garrus, Kaidan and Wrex charged with him too, the krogan warlord laughing and yelling loudly, enjoying the carnage.

**...**

The Citadel Fleet was getting swarmed, dozens of geth ships had surrounded the entirety of the fleet, relentlessly shooting their cannons at close range. For every Citadel ship lost, two geth ships were destroyed, but the synthetics had the upper hand.

On PFS Herenal's bridge, Admiral Glericus sat on his commander's chair. Many parts of the bridge were on fire, some personnel had died. The turian dreadnaught had suffered massive damage, many of its weapons were offline, and its defenses were falling.

"Admiral! We should abandon the ship, we can't take more of this damage!" One of the bridge crew said in a terrified voice. The turian admiral squeezed his hand into a fist, not knowing what to do. An explosion on the bridge, near to some consoles, pushed a few crewmembers on the floor, killing them instantly.

Outside, a turian frigate exploded nearby, some of its pieces hitting the Herenal, and causing even more damage.

"Damn it! Alright, everyone, abandon ship! Abandon ship, I said!" The admiral yelled, his voice sounding frustrated, and desperate. Many of the bridge crew started leaving the bridge, running to escape pods. Some stayed where they were, continuing to work, despite the chaos, and the evacuation order. Glericus sighed deeply, and leaned back on his seat, burying his face in his hands.

"Spirits help me..." The experienced admiral said, his voice full of defeat.

Several explosions shook the dreadnaught, some of its systems being shut down. Lights went out on the bridge, only the fires lighting the place. Glericus closed his eyes, and bowed his head, knowing this was the end.

Moments later, dozens of explosions engulfed the doomed ship, destroying it. A massive explosion sealed the deal, breaking the Herenal into pieces. The shockwave shook the ships around it, the flying pieces crushing some geth ships, as well as a small salarian frigate.

The Citadel Fleet was down their second largest ship, and the Destiny Ascension was receiving massive damage as well. It wouldn't be long until the asari dreadnaught would be destroyed too.

**...**

John walked over the dead geth troopers and the prime. They had finished off the last of the attacking geth forces in a few minutes, and now they had no opposition between them and Saren.

The Commander knew Saren would be, and without any word, started running to the direction of the audience platform. His team tried to keep up, but John ran too fast for them. He felt anger inside him, and determination. He'd kill Saren this time, here and now.

After a moment, John got to the stairs, that lead to the audience platform. He ran to the top of them, and saw a glimpse of Saren. The turian Spectre quickly turned around, deactivating the holographic interface he worked on, before jumping down off the platform.

John stayed still, aiming his pistol at where Saren had just been. He frowned his face, expecting a surprise attack from the turian. The rest of John's team arrived behind him, at the bottom of the stairs.

Then, out of the blue, Saren reappeared, standing on a hover board, that floated upwards. The turian Spectre smirked, and surrounded his body with purple energy, casting a spear of energy from his left hand. John quickly turned around, and dove down to the bottom of the stairs, dodging the energy shot. Garrus grabbed Tali, and pulled her behind cover, Kaidan doing the same with Liara. John quickly crawled to cover as well. Wrex however, roared loudly, and took a few steps forward, shooting his Claymore shotgun at Saren, who calmly deflected the shots with an energy wall he formed.

Saren then shot another energy spear at Wrex, which hit the krogan right in the middle of his chest. The shot pierced his armor a little, and pushed the krogan back, making him fall on the ground, unconscious. John bit his lip seeing that, and prepared his pistol, taking a deep breath while staying behind cover.

"Shepard, I was wondering when you'd show up." Saren said from several meters away, floating on his hover board.

"For knowing the location of the Mu Relay, you sure as hell took your time getting to Ilos." John answered, sounding as taunting as he could, he wanted to rile up Saren, he wanted to fight him.

"I have been busy, taking care of business. You have become quite an annoyance, destroying my work on Virmire. No matter, we are here now, and the return of the Reapers is close at hand. You and your friends will be the first ones to witness it." The turian answered back. John frowned, clenching his teeth together.

"They won't return if I have anything to say about it. I hope you've prepared for this, because one of us leaves this place in a body bag." John said back. Saren chuckled slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're right about one of us dying, Shepard. We could avoid that, you know. You could join me." The Spectre said. John frowned deeply, shaking his head.

"Have you lost the last ounces of your brain, Saren? I would never join you, and your delusional crusade." He answered. Saren smirked slightly, and nodded.

"I don't think so, Shepard. Think about it, if you stop me, the Reapers will destroy everything in this galaxy. Think of everything you hold dear, everything you love, will be gone. Every person who matters to you will die. Do you understand? They will all die, if I don't succeed." The turian Spectre explained. John couldn't believe his ears; Saren had been indoctrinated to the fullest.

"And you are helping the Reapers to do that. Can't you see? You are doing everything they want, in order to make it easier to destroy everything. They will not spare you, Saren, after they are done with the rest, they will take care of you too." John tried to reason. Saren was quiet for a moment, before shaking his head.

"I too had my doubts earlier. Sovereign saw it, and helped me. I've been remade, reborn... I am perfect now, the bridge between organic and synthetic life. We can live together with them, in peace. That is what I am doing, I am securing the future of the entire galaxy." The turian said almost fanatically, he was clearly indoctrinated. John sighed deeply.

"You let Sovereign modify you? You let him stuff you full with machinery? You've fallen too far, Saren. Can you not realize, that you have played right into the Reaper's pockets this way? You're their puppet, a pawn." The human said. Saren frowned, his mandibles moving.

"No! My mind is still my own, I just see how the Reapers will usher in a new age of perfection to this galaxy. It is the only way, to prevent total and utter destruction!" He said loudly, frowning deeply. John squeezed the pistol in his hand, knowing that he'd need to attack Saren soon.

"You've been indoctrinated to the point you can't even realize it anymore. You were the Council's greatest Spectre, and now, you're nothing." John said, to which Saren roared.

"After I am done, the galaxy will thank me! But you will not see it, Shepard, you will die here! Your interfering will end now!" The turian yelled angrily.

John felt as angry, and emerged from his cover, looking straight into Saren's blue glowing eyes. The Commander pointed his finger at his armor, which had Ash's name on it.

"See this name, Saren? You killed Ashley Williams on Virmire. She was my friend, my subordinate. I was supposed to keep her safe from you, but I failed. I swore on her name, that I'd avenge her, and I will do so now!" John said loudly, clenching his teeth as he frowned. Saren smirked, and grabbed his pistol.

"Very well... let's end this, Shepard." Saren answered, smirking.

Tali's heart raced, as he looked at John, her love, face down Saren. John's entire team didn't know what they should do.

John immediately surrounded his body with biotic energy, forming a protective barrier around him. Saren did the same with his Reaper given powers. The two Spectres then aimed their pistols at each other, and opened fire. John's team watched, as the fierce Commander relentlessly fired his pistol at the turian adversary. Saren returned fire with his weapon.

The first shots were absorbed by the Spectres' barriers, though John could notice that his biotic shield was much weaker compared to Saren's Reaper one. Kaidan and Garrus emerged from their cover, opening fire on Saren with their assault rifles. Liara and Tali did the same with their pistols.

Saren kept firing at John, his bullets piercing through John's barrier now. The human's armor took some of the next bullets, but soon, many shots pierced John's armor as well, and entered his body. The Commander didn't care, and kept firing.

After a moment, Saren's barrier was destroyed, and the volleys of fire penetrated his armor in seconds. The turian Spectre then widened his eyes, realizing that. The dozens of bullets from John and his teams' weapons, pierced Saren's armor and body, making the Spectre twitch, as the bullets ripped through his body, spraying blue blood.

John then lifted his hand, signaling the team to cease fire. They all then looked at Saren, who stared back at them with a surprised look. The turian tried to say something, opening his mouth, but only blood came out. Saren then rolled his glowing eyes back, and his body slowly fell backwards. The turian Spectre fell back, off his hover board, which then flew out of control to a nearby wall, exploding. Saren's limp body fell down, through the glass roof, that was in between the audience platform, and the Council pedestal. Saren's body shattered the glass, and his body fell down on the grassy floor of the Council Gardens.

A large piece of the glass roof fell on him, piercing his body. Saren lifted his arm, trying to reach out with his hand, coughing blood. He then groaned weakly, his head falling back. Saren's hand fell down, hitting the ground, and the turian let out a last long breath. After that, his glowing eyes shut down, like lights. Saren's body then stayed still, a blue pool of blood forming around it on the grassy ground.

Saren Arterius, the youngest turian admitted to the Council Spectres, one of their best agents in history, was dead.

John took a deep breath, and lowered his pistol, his heart beating fast.

"And now... she can rest in peace..." He said quietly. His team glanced at each other behind him, many breathing heavily. The entire place was eerily quiet, calm. Kaidan walked nearer to John, who started feeling lightheaded.

"John, you're bleeding..." The Lieutenant said. John raised his eyebrow, and looked down to his body, seeing many bullet holes in his armor, which all had blood come out of them. He felt dizzy then, and something warm run down his nose and mouth. The Commander moved his hand to his nose, and then looked at it, seeing blood.

"Oh..." He said, feeling more dizzy. Suddenly, John then rolled his eyes back, and collapsed. Garrus, who was right behind him, reacted fast enough, and caught the fainting Commander. Tali, Kaidan and Liara got around John, all being startled.

"John! John!" Tali called out, kneeling in front of him, framing his face. John felt dizzy, and couldn't keep his eyes open. Liara activated her omni-tool, checking the Commander's vitals.

"Kaidan, medi-gel, now, lots of it." The asari said. Kaidan took a medi-gel shot from his armor, and injected it into John's arm. The Lieutenant then immediately took another shot, and injected it as well. After injecting John with five shots, Liara ordered Kaidan to stop. Tali held John's face in her hands, feeling tears roll down her cheeks.

"John, nir'vallen.. wake up. It's done, we beat him... please.. open your eyes." She whispered, stroking John's cheek. She wished she could be alone with him, so she could confess her love for him, or take her mask off, and kiss him.

After a moment, John opened his eyes, taking a deep breath, as if he had been choking. The Commander breathed heavily, and looked around.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. Kaidan smiled, and patted John's shoulder, while Tali looked into his eyes, and stroke his cheek again.

"He's gone.. Saren's dead, John." She said, smiling behind her helmet. John sighed deeply, a slight smile on his lips.

"Yeah... we beat him, didn't we?" He said, not able to really believe they had won against Saren, defeated him. It felt like a heavy burden had been taken from John's heart, even though he knew Sovereign was still in the game.

The team turned their heads towards Wrex, when the krogan groaned, getting up, having been woken up from his concussion. Wrex looked around quickly, looking a bit groggy.

"What... where's Saren? Did we win?" The krogan asked in a confused voice. Kaidan and Liara laughed, getting up and helping Wrex on his feet. Garrus let John go, who was now able to sit on his own. The turian officer patted his human friend's back, getting up and walking to Liara, Kaidan and Wrex, who was still confused, not able to believe the rest of the team had killed Saren without him.

John and Tali stayed beside each other, the young quarian still holding John's face in her hands. The two were looking into each other's eyes, smiling. If the situation would have been different, John was sure they'd kiss.

After a moment, John got himself to his feet again, feeling somewhat better, as the medi-gel did its work.

"We need to make sure Sovereign can't summon the Reaper fleet." John said, starting to limp towards the audience platform. Tali and the rest of the team followed him, keeping an eye on his walking, not wanting their Commander to collapse again.

Moment later, John arrived to the end of the platform, and activated the same holographic interface Saren had worked on. After looking through it, John sighed in relief.

"We came just in time, Saren hadn't yet linked the relay on the Presidium, to the one that the Reapers would use. And I don't think Sovereign can access the terminal itself, so I think we're safe." He said, with a slight smile. His team behind him all sighed in relief too, even though they knew Sovereign was still a danger to them all, and had to be destroyed.

"Commander, come in." Said Joker's voice, coming through John's armor speaker. John, opened transmission, taking a deep breath, feeling a bit dizzy from the medi-gel.

"We're here, Joker. Saren's KIA, but the Citadel Fleet could use reinforcements. Where are you?" He asked the pilot.

"I brought the Normandy to the Arcturus Fleet; we're waiting on Admiral Hackett's order to move in on the Citadel. However, our sensors show that the Citadel Fleet, and the Destiny Ascension, are surrounded and heavily outnumbered. The Admiral is unsure on whether we should reinforce the Fleet first, or focus on Sovereign." Joker explained through the speaker.

That made John frown his face, and he could sense his team glanced at each other, thinking as well. Hackett's thoughts weren't wrong; the geth had overwhelmed the Citadel Fleet completely, and were now working to decimate them altogether. Sending the Arcturus Fleet, which consisted of the Fourth and Fifth fleets of the Alliance, to help out Destiny Ascension, and the surviving turian and salarian ships, would result in many human casualties for sure.

Then again, leaving the Citadel Fleet to perish, and focusing on Sovereign, would mean that the Arcturus Fleet would be attacked by the remainder of the geth fleet anyway. Both scenarios would result in human casualties, but if the fleet was to rescue the Citadel Fleet, humanity would have then saved the Council, and with that, show the other races the Alliance's worth.

"Admiral Hackett wants you to make the decision, Commander." Joker said, breaking the silence. Wrex scoffed quietly, crossing his arms.

"A lot of humans would die, if they go save the Council. Leave those useless pyjaks to die, they've done nothing for humanity." The krogan said in a low voice. Garrus frowned to that, his mandibles twitching.

"This is bigger than humanity. The Reapers are a threat to all of us, none of us can defeat them alone. We need to stand together, and leaving the Council and the Citadel Fleet to die isn't going to win humanity any favors." The turian officer argued. Kaidan crossed his arms over his chest as well.

"But is it worth the human casualties? Alliance could lose many ships, ships that they need to use against Sovereign." The lieutenant said, to which Liara shook her head.

"If the Alliance saves the Destiny Ascension and the fleet, the Council will be grateful, I'm sure. Besides, the Citadel Fleet can then assist the humans in defeating Sovereign." The asari scientist said. John bit his lip, thinking deeply. He felt Tali's soft hand on his shoulder.

"Think about it, John, are you sure the Council will repay the Alliance for such a sacrifice? I mean.. I'm not saying they should be left for dead, but, can we trust them to repay humanity?" She said quietly. John sighed, and closed his eyes, stroking his chin.

It was a hard decision, both had their ups and downs. And time was running out, John had to make the decision now.

"What's the order, Commander? Do we move in to save the fleet, or focus on Sovereign?" Joker asked after a moment. John nodded, knowing what he'd choose.

"Alright. The Arcturus Fleet will reinforce the Citadel Fleet, and destroy the geth forces. I will open the Citadel arms, after you have dealt with the geth fleet, move in to attack Sovereign." The Commander ordered, hearing Wrex's disappointed sigh behind him.

"Yes, Commander. We'll commence our attack now, Joker out." The pilot answered, closing the transmission. After that, John sighed deeply, getting to work on the master console again.

"I hope the Council will appreciate this." Wrex stated, shaking his head slightly.

**...**

The Widow Mass Relay pulsated rapidly, its rings moving fast. Seconds later The Normandy jumped into the system. It was followed by dozens of Alliance ships; frigates, corvettes, and cruisers. Three 750 meter long fighter carriers jumped through the relay then, joining in with the fleet. After a few moments, the last of the ships entered the star system, Admiral Hackett's flagship SSV Endeavour, and Admiral Petersson's ship SSV Yamato, jumping through last.

The Arcturus Fleet consisted of the Alliance's Fourth and Fifth fleet, being the humanity's largest combined attack fleet. Though the Fourth Fleet was commanded by Admiral Arne Jansson, Admiral Hackett was the supreme commander of the Arcturus Fleet. The fleet consisted of 168 ships, combining both the Fourth and the Fifth fleet.

The Fifth Fleet was the heavier fleet, consisting of 52 cruiser, and 31 frigates, as well as two fighter carriers, and the SSV Endeavour, a 820 meter long dreadnaught. The fleet had lost 22 ships during the Battle of Therum earlier in the war against Saren, and they had just finished repairing the rest of the ships before this attack.

The Fourth Fleet specialized in more light weight attacks, and hit and run tactics. Their fleet consisted of 20 cruiser, 40 frigates, and 19 corvettes, which were designed as missile boats, and anti-fighter platforms. The fleet also had a single large fighter carrier, which could mobilize several fighter squadron's in the battle. Contradictory to their tactics however, was the SSV Yamato, the fleet's flagship. The Yamato was the largest war ship in Alliance Navy, being over 860 meters long. The ship was appropriately named after the Imperial Japanese Navy warship Yamato, which was the largest human warship in history, during the 20th and 21st century.

Together, these two fleets made up for the Arcturus Fleet, which was the Alliance's most active attack fleet, while most the other fleets were deployed for defense.

"All Alliance ships, move in, attack the geth fleet, and save the Destiny Ascension." Said Admiral Hackett's voice through all of the ships' speakers.

The large fleet then made its way towards the raging battle. The Normandy flew at the tip of the spear, corvettes following it. The three fighter carriers deployed several squadrons, which joined up with the leading ships, approaching the geth fleet.

The cruisers began with firing their long range missiles at the geth ships, that hadn't yet reacted to the arrival of the large Alliance fleet. Seconds later, the first missiles hit their targets, destroying six geth cruisers and frigates in an instant.

The geth ships then began turning around, a few Alliance missiles hitting two frigates, destroying them too. Hundreds of geth fighters then scrambled towards the attacking human fleet. The Normandy and the fast moving corvettes fired their main cannons and missiles, decimating the spear of the approaching geth fighter fleet. Alliance fighters then increased their speed, flying past the advanced frigate and the corvettes, intercepting the geth fighters.

In mere seconds, several Alliance fighters were lost, in the initial clash. The Normandy steered sideways, dodging several geth fighters flying at it. A few corvettes collided with geth fighters, not able to dodge them, and exploded immediately.

The Alliance frigates were next in line then, making their way toward the geth fleet, firing their missiles and cannons. Several geth cruisers fired missiles, which hit some Alliance frigates seconds later, destroying them. The rest of the geth fleet began moving away from the Citadel Fleet, trying to repel the Alliance forces.

On the bridge of the Destiny Ascension, many asari crewmembers looked in disbelief, as they saw the geth ships leaving them and the rest of the damaged fleet alone.

"Madam Lidanya, look! We've got reinforcements!" One of the crew said in a cheery, relieved voice, smiling widely. Matriarch Lidanya squinted her eyes, making out what the helping ships were. The elder asari let out a small relieved laugh, falling back on her chair.

"It's the Alliance... thank the Goddess..." Lidanya said, taking a deep, relieved breath.

Outside, the battle raged on. The Alliance cruisers now arrived to the fight, firing their main cannons. The frigates and corvettes had surrounded the remainders of the geth fleet already, the synthetics were in complete disarray. The cruisers made quick work of several geth frigates, blowing them to pieces.

Moments later, the two dreadnaughts arrived to firing range, and engaged the remaining geth ships. In a few minutes, over two thirds of the geth ships were destroyed. The geth cruisers managed to destroy a few Alliance frigates, corvettes, and even two cruisers, but they were quickly overwhelmed and surrounded by the humans.

Less than five minutes later, the entire geth fleet was in pieces, only several geth fighters remaining, which the human fighters and corvettes continued making quick work. The Normandy then flew past the Citadel Fleet's ships, which were regrouping.

"Destiny Ascension, you are all clear, I repeat, you are all clear." Joker's voice said trough the asari ship's speakers.

The Citadel's massive arms then started opening, revealing Sovereign, which was still docked on the Council Tower. The Alliance moved in all of its ships, approaching the gaps between the arms. The Normandy was leading the charge again, being followed by corvettes and frigates.

"All Alliance ships, this is Admiral Hackett. Move in to the Citadel, engage Sovereign. Let's end this, people." Hackett's voice said throughout the entire fleet. The ships did as asked, and started moving in on Sovereign, several cruisers pushing small geth ship debris from their way.

**...**

In the Council Chambers, John and his team were standing around on the audience platform, waiting for what the Alliance would do against Sovereign. John looked down to the gardens, seeing Saren's body lying there, in a pool of blood. The Commander frowned deeply.

"He's dead John, it's over." Tali said quietly, touching his shoulder. John swallowed, and nodded.

"Yeah..." He answered quietly, his voice raspy.

Suddenly, John felt bad headache, and grabbed his head, clenching his teeth together. It felt the same as when Saren had immobilized him on Feros. His team noticed that, and Tali took a hold of him.

Out of the blue, a loud noise rang out, and the team looked down at the garden, while John still held his head because of the pain. Saren's body was twitching around, red energy surrounding it.

"What the..." Garrus said in disbelief, not believing what he was seeing.

The turian Spectre's body started floating slightly, the energy ripping through Saren's skin, destroying it. An energy wave shot out, which shook the audience platform. The platform's supports gave in, and the structure collapsed, making John and his team fall down to the garden with it.

After a moment, John groaned, as he got up from the grassy floor. His team all were slowly getting up too. The human Commander started breathing heavier, as he watched what happened to Saren's body. The turian's skin was gone completely, the meat from his bones were being disintegrated. John's eyes widened, as he saw that all that was left of Saren's body in a minute, was his bones, and extensive cybernetic additions. Wires and circuits ran through the turian's body, which made John realize, just how much Saren had allowed Sovereign to change him.

After the transformation, Saren fell on the ground, but standing up, and looking at the team in front of him. The turian's eyes glowed blue, and his body shot out sparks of energy every now and then.

John grabbed his pistol, and aimed it at the monstrous Saren. His team did the same, all except Wrex being equally terrified.

**"I am Sovereign, and this station, is mine!"** Sovereign's loud metallic voice roared, through Saren's body.

John could feel his breathing halt, he had never expected this. Sovereign had just possessed Saren's body, transformed the dead turian into a monster. John couldn't even think on how powerful this creature could be.

He opened fire with his pistol, the shots hitting the creature's body, but not doing much. The creature roared at him, which made him take a step back. A rock was in front of John's foot, and he stumbled on that, falling down on the ground. The creature then knelt down, and suddenly lunged forward, like a tiger, aiming to pounce on John.

Before John could do anything, Wrex's body came in front of him, hitting the charging Saren creature with his body, surrounded with biotic energy. The creature flew back, hitting the wall at the end of the garden room. After that, the krogan warlord turned to glance at John, cocking his shotgun.

"Get up, Shepard! Let's fuck this monster up!" Wrex shouted, smirking. After that, the krogan roared, and charged at the creature, shooting his shotgun. Kaidan and Garrus ran to John, and helped him up.

"Let's kill the bastard once and for all." Garrus said determinately. John took a deep breath, and nodded; they'd kill Saren and Sovereign now, or never.

The Commander then frowned, and lead his two subordinates against the turian creature, while Tali and Liara stayed back.

**...**

The Normandy flew around Sovereign, followed by a few corvettes. The small ships looked like insects next to the 2 kilometer tall monster. A corvette shot its missiles at the Reaper, but the shots were deflected by Sovereign's shields.

In the next moments, much of the fleet arrived to the scene, several frigates opening fire already. Cruisers fired their missiles, and some cannons at Sovereign, but nothing seemed to make damage to it so far.

"Its shields are taking all we've fired so far, Admiral. What should we do?" A Captain from one of the cruisers said, his voice heard throughout the fleet. The rest of the fleet was arriving shortly, the larger ships being naturally slower.

"Keep at it; it can't take the combined firepower of our fleets. We're there shortly." Admiral Jansson's voice said.

Suddenly, Sovereign roared, and moved some of its tentacle-like limbs. The Reaper roared again, and a red beam of laser fired out of its lower body. The beam hit an Alliance frigate, that was stationed near the Council Tower, exploding immediately.

The Normandy flew past the destroyed frigate, Joker gasping loudly inside the ship's cockpit.

"It just took out the Waterloo with a single shot." The pilot said in sheer disbelief.

After that, the Reaper targeted another frigate, SSV Cannae, and destroyed it with a single shot of the red laser beam as well. A few frigates then fired up their engines, trying to get away from Sovereign. The Reaper then opened fire on SSV Damascus, a cruiser that had just arrived, destroying it too.

"Sovereign's too strong, we have to pull back!" One of the frigates' Captain said in a desperate voice, as the few ships pulled away from the Reaper.

"Negative, hold your positions! This is our only chance to take that monster down. Keep firing!" Admiral Hackett's strong voice ordered throughout the fleet.

After that, more cruisers and frigates arrived, the fleet slowly surrounding Sovereign. The Reaper continued to fire at the ships that were closest to it, destroying them in an instant.

**...**

The Saren creature shrieked, and lunged at Wrex, who grabbed it by its throat, holding it in his strong hands. The creature used its claws to slash the krogan's stomach, making Wrex groan, and let it go. The creature then jumped around, bouncing off a wall, and to the ground again.

**"I am only the vanguard of what's to come, Shepard. Our numbers will shadow the sun on your homeworld, our fleet will destroy everything in its way."** Sovereign said in its metallic voice. John frowned, and opened fire on the creature, Kaidan and Garrus joining him.

The shots ripped through the creature's body, but it didn't seem to care. It had lost almost all of its ribs already, and much of the cybernetic additions. The creature had to be weakening, John knew it.

"Whenever the Reapers will come after your destruction, we'll be ready!" John yelled back at the creature, which stared right into his eyes.

**"Your false hopes of fighting back are irrelevant, Shepard. Even if I am defeated, Harbinger will come, along with the rest of us, and wipe out everything you hold dear."** The Reaper replied. John frowned deeper to that. What was Harbinger? Was it the leader of the Reapers?

Suddenly, the images of the prothean vision came to John's mind. The Reaper which appeared at the end of it, could it be Harbinger, could it be the thing Sovereign was talking about?

"Whatever Harbinger is, it'll meet the same fate as you!" Kaidan shouted, firing his assault rifle. The creature pulled back, taking a bit of cover behind a rock. They were hurting it, that much was certain.

**"Taunt all you wish, your death will come in time. Nothing will stop us, the Cycle will continue. The Cycle will always continue."** Sovereign answered, and the creature jumped up again, roaring.

It then lunged towards Garrus, who placed his assault rifle in front of him. The creature took a hold of the rifle, and tried to push its head at the turian, opening and shutting its mouth repeatedly, as if it was a crocodile, that tried to bite Garrus' head off.

Wrex then grabbed the creature, and threw it away, shooting his shotgun at it. The Saren monster fell back again, taking cover behind a larger rock.

"John, it's weakening! Keep firing at it!" Liara shouted encouragingly. John knew that, and smirked slightly, as he opened fire on the creature again. It'd go down soon, and then this nightmare would be over.

**...**

The Arcturus Fleet had now surrounded Sovereign and the Council Tower. Some ships from the Citadel Fleet were now joining in, though the badly damaged ships, and the Destiny Ascension, stayed further back.

Most of the ships had stopped firing their all weapons at the Reaper, deeming that nothing was damaging it. Sovereign had destroyed a couple more Alliance ships, but had since surprisingly stopped. A cruiser shot out a missile at the Reaper, everyone expecting it to be deflected by Sovereign's shields, like all of the earlier shots. However, the missile went through, and exploded on the Reaper's hull.

The Normandy flew past Sovereign, everyone in the fleet being surprised.

"It's shields are down. Now's our chance!" Joker exclaimed over the speakers throughout the fleet, having read scans that the frigate had done with its flyby.

"Give it everything we've got." Admiral Hackett's calm, but enthusiastic voice said.

The Alliance ships then turned their weapons at the Reaper, opening fire. Volleys of cannon shots, missiles and flak rounds hit Sovereign's hull, exploding on impact. The entire fleet shot their weapons at the Reaper, finally doing damage to it.

An explosion detached one of Sovereign's limbs, the large metallic tentacle-like construct floating away from the Reaper's body. Many more explosions blew off more parts of the monstrous ship. Sovereign started to fall over, clearly losing power under the fire.

**...**

The creature couldn't jump around anymore, it roared, but slowly crawled on the floor, clearly feeling the effects of the battle outside. John shot his pistol at it, the shots piercing the creature's body.

Wrex laughed a bit, and shot his shotgun at it, blowing off one of the creature's legs. The monster screeched loudly, and twitched on the grassy floor, trying to get away. Wrex walked over to it, and kicked it in its ribs, making it fall on its back. John, Kaidan, Garrus and Wrex then all shot their weapons at it, destroying the creature.

Wrex shot the monster in its head, destroying it. Now headless, the creature went limb, not moving anymore. John signaled his team, who all ceased fire. After a second, the creature disintegrated in bright red energy, burning to ashes.

After the creature had disappeared, John took a deep, relieved breath, falling on his knees. Tali was immediately at his side, taking a hold off him. Kaidan patted Garrus' shoulder, breathing heavily too.

"It's over... it's finally over." John said quietly. Tali sighed in a happy voice, and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. John closed his eyes, smiling too, and hugged her back.

Liara joined the team, hugging with both Garrus and Kaidan, all of them being relieved that the battle was over, Sovereign and Saren were gone. Wrex chuckled, and looked at his hugging companions.

"No one will hug me?" The krogan asked, to which Liara laughed, and came in to hug him. Kaidan knelt down, and patted John's shoulder, who was still holding Tali.

"We did it, John... we did it." The Lieutenant said in a cheery voice.

John nodded. They had really done it; they had won. The young Commander felt like a champion, and he was, he had defeated the greatest threat to the galaxy since the krogan rebellions. And now, maybe he and his team would have a moment to enjoy their victory.

**...**

Sovereign let go off the Council Tower outside in space, its lights flickering. The Reaper floated then, not moving at all. The combined human and Council fleets had stopped their fire, allowing the Reaper to silently float in space, slowly deactivating. The Normandy flew past the Reaper, Joker flying the ship upwards.

"Finish the job, Joker... take it out." Admiral Hackett's voice said through the Normandy's intercom. Joker smirked, and nodded, being more than happy to oblige.

The Normandy flew fast upwards, closing down its engines after a moment, and turning around. The frigate fired up its engines again, and started to approach Sovereign with great speed.

The frigate then fired its ballistic missile launcher, sending the powerful anti-ship missile at the Reaper. The missile soon hit Sovereign, piercing its belly. The Normandy flew under the Reaper, and turned upwards again, flying past it, and away.

The missile that had hit it, now exploded, initiating a chain reaction inside Sovereign. The Reaper exploded into pieces then, the bright, massive explosion sending a powerful shockwave, that shook the Alliance ships around, that were close to the Reaper.

The large pieces of the destroyed Sovereign then floated into different directions, some heading straight at the Council Tower.

**...**

Inside the Council Chambers, John and his team had walked up to the audience platform again, or, the stairs that lead to it, had it not been taken out before. They had watched the end of the battle through the large windows, that were at the end of the chamber.

Kaidan, Garrus and Liara all cheered, the asari jumping in place. Wrex laughed loudly, and roared like a true krogan warrior. John smiled widely, receiving many pats to his shoulder from Garrus and Kaidan. Tali fiddled with her hands a bit, wanting so hard to just embrace John again, but decided to hold herself.

Their smiles disappeared though, as they quickly noticed the large pieces of Sovereign, approaching the Tower rapidly. John realize, that they would hit the Chambers, and quickly turned around to his team.

"Run! Go, get out of here!" He yelled, pushing Kaidan, Garrus and Tali to get moving.

The team quickly made their way towards the other end of the Council Chambers, John trying to keep up, but the Commander felt weaker again. His teammates turned around to see him fall behind, Tali trying to run to him, but Garrus grabbing her arm.

John could hear a loud noise, and feel the ground shake violently. He turned around, and saw a large piece of Sovereign, hitting the windows, and smashing through them, sending debris everywhere. The large piece came further into the Chambers, engulfing it in darkness and debris, as well as fire. John closed his eyes, and surrounded his body with biotics, trying to shield himself.

Kaidan and Liara activated their biotics too, forming a shield around them, Garrus, Wrex and Tali. Garrus pushed Tali on the ground, and shielded her by setting his large body over hers. Wrex surrounded his body with biotics, and knelt down, as if he'd try to be a cocoon.

"John!" Tali screamed, as Garrus shielded her.

The piece of sovereign buried the entire Council Chambers in debris and dust in the next few seconds. John had his eyes closed, and could feel as pieces of wreckage hit him, and knocked him unconscious.

**An hour later...**

Several C-Sec officers, and Alliance soldiers, walked inside the Council Chambers. Many of them had their omni-tools utilize a flashlight, allowing them to investigate the area better.

Captain Anderson and Jane were with the soldiers, waiting around the main atrium of the Chambers, the young female officer nervously looking around. They knew John and his team had been there, and by all logic, they'd still be there, somewhere.

Jane was terrified however, as the piece of Sovereign, that had impacted the Chambers, had destroyed the entire large room. Everything was in ruins, and on fire. Jane was really afraid, that they'd find her brother, and his companions, dead.

After a moment, a few C-Sec officers pushed away some rubble, and made a discovery.

"Captain Anderson! They're here!" The human officers exclaimed, which made Anderson take a deep breath, and approach the area, Jane following him.

After the two had arrived, they could see John's teammates sitting down in the middle of the rubble, most of their faces and bodies covered in dust and dirt. Anderson knelt down beside Kaidan, touching the Lieutenant's shoulder. All of them seemed to be in shock, looking down on the ground.

"It's all right now, you're safe, we'll take care of you." The Captain said reassuringly. No one responded. Jane looked around, and couldn't see John, which got her worried. Anderson noticed it too, his heart beating faster.

"Where's the Commander, Kaidan?" He asked. Kaidan closed his eyes, shaking his head in sadness.

That made Jane's heart jump to her throat. The officer quickly walked a little further in to the rubble, looking around in despair.

"John. John!" She called out, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

Tali, who was sitting down beside Liara, let her head fall down, as she started to sob quietly. Liara sighed, and pulled the quarian in for a hug, holding her and rubbing her back, trying to soothe the girl.

Anderson sighed too, but turned to look at the officers near him, signaling them with his hand. The officers then walked to Kaidan, Garrus and Wrex, helping them up. Liara helped Tali get on her feet, but still held her close, not wanting anyone to interfere with her grieving.

Jane walked back to Anderson, tears running down her cheeks. She couldn't have lost her brother, the thing she held most dear in the galaxy. Anderson knew Jane's pain, and quietly hugged her. Jane let all of her feelings come, as she burst out crying into Anderson's shoulder. The officers slowly escorted John's team away from the area, heading for the elevators.

Suddenly, faint noises of rubble being thrown away got everyone's attention. The noises became more loud, as something came closer. All of them turned to look at the direction of a large pile of rubble, not being sure what was happening.

Jane turned around to look as well, wiping the tears off her face. Tali did the same, still sobbing though under her helmet.

Out of the blue, a figure emerged on top of the rubble pile, and the surprise on everyone's faces, was truly a sight to see. It was John. The Commander stood at the top of the pile, looking down on all the people, who stared at him. Jane's heart jumped again, and she let out a gasp, seeing her brother alive. Tali's reaction was the same, her nir'vallen was alive.

Many C-Sec officers, as well as Alliance soldiers, started applauding and cheering, seeing the victorious Commander descend from the pile. John had a wide smile on his face, as he walked down, certainly enjoying the applauding he received. Jane had her hand in front of her mouth, tears running from her eyes again.

As John got at the bottom of the rubble pile, he fell on his knees. Jane immediately ran to her brother, two Alliance medics following her.

"Johnny!" The young woman yelled, wrapping her hands around John's neck. The medics took a hold of John, who was falling unconscious. Jane held him too, stroking his cheek. Tali walked to them as well, fiddling her hands as she looked down on John. The Commander weakly looked up to Tali, and smiled, before closing his eyes, and falling unconscious.

"Oh John, my dear brother." Jane said with a smile, tears running down her cheeks. She kissed John's forehead repeatedly, before touching it with her forehead, holding her face close to his.

"Never do that again." She said, and kissed her brother's head again.

Tali fiddled with her hands. She wanted nothing more than to do the same to John, as Jane, but she decided to allow the Commander's sister to have this moment with him.

After a moment, the medics moved John's unconscious body to a stretcher, setting his body down on it. The Commander's team looked over his body, all of them having smiles on their eyes. Wrex kept himself further back than the others, and turned his face away, so that no one could see the few tears, that ran down the krogan's cheek.

Anderson walked over to them, looking at John as well, and smiling, setting his hand down on John's shoulder.

"That was a close one, John." The Captain said plainly, and patted the Commander's shoulder, before walking away with a smile.

**A day later...**

Jane sat on a chair next to John's body inside a hospital room. The Commander's unconscious body had been brought to the Shalta Ward General Hospital, where John had received medical care for his injuries. Jane had stayed next to her brother as much as she could, after he had come back from surgery. The doctors had closed John's gunfire wounds, and had placed his broken arm into a plaster.

Most of John's team had went out to celebrate the victory earlier, but all of them had returned, and were waiting for John to wake up. Tali had been the only one, who didn't leave the hospital at all.

Jane held John's hand, sitting down on the chair, looking at the beeping monitor, that showed John's heartbeat rate. Suddenly, the Commander groaned, and slowly opened his eyes.

John looked around, yawning. He felt a hand around his own, and turned to look to his left, seeing Jane looking at him with a sweet smile. John let out a small chuckle, and closed his eyes for a second, smiling.

"Hey, little sis." He said quietly. Jane smiled, and pulled herself closer to John. She kissed his cheek, and hug him after that. John clenched his teeth together a bit, his body feeling sore, but he gladly hugged his sister back.

"You have no idea how worried you made me, Anderson, and your friends. We thought you hadn't made it." Jane said, pulling away from John, and sitting down on the chair next to his bed again. John smirked and chuckled slightly.

"What, you think I'd allow myself to die, after a victory like this? Sis, you know me better than that, I want to bask in the glory at least a bit before I die." The Commander said with a smirk, which made Jane roll her eyes with a smile.

"Yeah, of course, Johnny." She said, shaking her head, while smiling widely.

The room's door then opened, Tali slowly walking in. She had heard talking, and wanted to see if John had awoken yet, which she got the answer to, seeing John, who turned his eyes to look at her, smiling.

"Tali.." He said quietly, smiling. Tali fiddled with her hands for a second, staying at the door way. After a moment, she suddenly ran to John, and wrapped her hands around his neck. John let out a "ouch", after which Tali immediately parted from him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, John." She said, fiddling with her hands. John took a small breath, and let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Just, do that a bit slower, yeah? Come here." The Commander said softly, and held his arms wide. Tali bit her lip behind her helmet, and wrapped her arms around John's neck again, who embraced her back. Jane smiled as she saw that, now she knew who John was infatuated with, and she was not surprised.

Kaidan, and the rest of John's team entered the room. They all walked to stand at the end of John's bed, looking at their Commander, their friend, with smiles on their faces. After Tali and John let each other go, the Commander looked at his companions, seeing them smile at him.

"We did it, huh? We won." He said with a smile. Kaidan nodded, and gave a pat to John's feet.

"We sure did." The Lieutenant answered. John then looked at Tali again.

"I'm just glad it's all over, even though we have a lot to do still. Preparing for the Reapers should be our top priority." He said. Garrus chuckled, and got John's attention.

"That'll come in time, John. Take a moment to rest now, relax.. enjoy the victory. We've all deserved some free time." The turian said with a smile. John smiled, and nodded; he sure could use a small holiday, he had saved the galaxy with his team and allies, after all. He then looked between all of the people inside the room.

"At the very least we're all alive... I'd have died myself too, if I lost any of you." He said quietly. Tali came closer to him, and grabbed his hand, holding it in hers.

"We know that, John, and we would have been destroyed, if we lost you. We're all lucky to have you." She said, smiling behind her helmet. John looked into her eyes, smiling too.

"I'm even luckier..." He said, looking into the quarian's silver eyes. Tali knew what he meant, and would have just wanted to kiss the man. John however, quickly looked at the rest of his team.

"T-to have all of you." He added. His team laughed, and nodded. Wrex laughed and came closer, giving John's stomach a rather hard pat.

"You haven't eaten in a day, Shepard. I'll be more than happy share some good big meals later, get you full of delicious krogan food. I've practiced cooking, don't worry." The krogan said with a laugh. John raised his eyebrow, being amused.

"I see, Wrex... uh... thank you." He said, chuckling slightly.

Jane smiled as she saw how good friends John was with his team. She knew they'd fight with her brother until the end.

**Two days later...**

The Councilors looked over the severe damage on the Presidium, seeing all the ruined buildings, and crashed geth gunships litter the landscape. The fires that had raged three days earlier, had been contained, and thick smoke statues were now everywhere around the Presidium, making it seem like a scene straight from a post-apocalyptic movie, or video game.

John, Anderson and Udina stood behind the three Councilors, the Commander still having his arm in a plaster. The Councilors turned around to the three humanity's representatives.

"The destruction the geth and Sovereign caused... is unbelievable." Councilor Valern lamented. Tevos and Sparatus joined with the salarian, agreeing.

"Our fleet took heavy losses before the Alliance came. I... I cannot express the gratitude this Council has for humanity." Tevos said, her voice sounding genuine. Sparatus nodded.

"Yes... the Alliance made a tremendous sacrifice, saving our, and the rest of the Citadel Fleet's lives. We are in your debt." The turian said. Anderson and Udina responded with humbled bows.

"The Alliance is honored to have been part in defeating Saren, Councilors. Any sacrifice we made was worth it." Udina said, clearly trying to appease the Council further. That made John roll his eyes, but he knew the ambassador was trying to get humanity to better standing in the galactic community.

"For such tremendous show of support to this Council, and the galactic community, it has come to our conclusion, that humanity and the Alliance, have proved themselves as true protectors of the Citadel." Tevos said. Sparatus then placed his hands behind his back.

"As a token of our gratitude, we have come to the decision, that humanity will be offered a seat in this Council." The turian explained. That made John, Anderson and Udina raise their eyebrows in surprise. Udina however did a small bow again.

"I think I can safely speak for all of humanity and Alliance, when I thank you for this honorable decision." The ambassador said. Anderson nodded with a smile.

"Humanity will gladly accept your offer, Councilors. Together, we will work to rebuild, and make this galaxy a better place to live." The Captain said. The Councilors nodded in agreement, but turned to look at John.

"Commander Shepard, for your tremendous and unyielding effort to take down Saren and his geth, we offer our deepest apologies for doubting your judgment. You defeated Saren singlehandedly with your followers, that is a feat that not a single other Spectre can match up with." Councilor Valern said. John nodded, but frowned slightly.

"Three other Spectres fought against him, but were killed... their sacrifice should be honored, Councilors." The Commander said. The Councilors nodded immediately.

"Yes, we will honor Spectres Kryik, T'Loren, and Activus... they died for us, and this galactic society." Sparatus said. Tevos then smiled slightly.

"As an immediate token of our gratitude, Commander.. we'd like to offer you a definitive say in choosing humanity's representative in this Council. Do you have any suggestions right now?" The asari Councilor asked. John raised his eyebrow, and turned to look at Anderson and Udina. The ambassador was looking in a hopeful look at the Commander.

"Oh... uh.. I'll pass, Councilors. Let the politician's handle this one." He answered. Udina seemed to be satisfied with that answer.

"I agree with the Commander. This decision must not be done hastily." The Ambassador said. After that, John frowned slightly.

"What you can do, however, is listen to my words now. The Reapers are still coming; Sovereign's defeat is only a setback for them, but they will return, and we have to be ready for that." The Commander said, after which he turned around, and left. Udina looked as John left, but Anderson took a stern stance.

"Shepard is right. This victory was major for us, but the Reapers will recover from it. They are still a threat, a threat we must stand together to repel. If we work together, I am certain, that we can push those monsters back to Dark Space." The Captain said determinately, placing his hands behind his back after the speech.

**Few days later...**

John walked from the Normandy's airlock, into the ship. He had no plaster on his arm anymore, he had recovered quite well.

After the Commander entered, he could notice Joker inside the cockpit, standing up and saluting him. John gave the pilot a small salute with a smile, and proceeded to make his way to the CIC.

He could quickly notice, that the entirety of the Normandy's crew, was at the CIC, waiting for him. All of the Alliance crewmembers stood straight, saluting him. That filled John with warmth, and a feeling of proud. Kaidan and Garrus were among the crew, saluting as well. Liara, Tali and Wrex where with them, but not saluting, probably because they hadn't ever been part of a military.

John made his way past his crew, smiling widely as all of them saluted him. As he came near the galaxy map, John smiled at Dr. Chakwas, Chief Engineer Adams, and Navigator Pressly, who stood near it, and saluted him.

The Commander walked up to the galaxy map, leaning in on the railing, looking at the holographic map.

"Where are we headed, Commander?" Joker's voice asked through the speakers. John smiled widely, and was quiet for a moment.

"Let's see what the galaxy has in store for us, Mr. Moreau." He said, with a smile.

"Aye aye, sir." Joker answered, his voice sounding very happy.

The Normandy then fired up its engines, the docking clamps in the hangar letting it go. The ship backed away from the hangar, turning towards the exit of the Citadel. The ship then accelerated, beginning to fly towards the nebula, that had the mass relay in it.

The Normandy flew past the dozens of Alliance ships, that had stationed themselves at the Citadel, after the attack. The frigate flew past the Destiny Ascension, which was receiving repairs.

After a few moments, and flying past many of the ships stationed at the Citadel, the Normandy cleared off from the station, heading towards the Widow Relay. The ship flew next to the relay, which connected itself to it, surrounding it with blue energy.

A few seconds later, the Normandy was slingshotted into speeds much faster than light. The Normandy had then left the star system.

Only time would tell, what Commander John Shepard, and his loyal crew, would come across on their travels in the final frontier; the Milky Way Galaxy.

****Well, here it is, guys. The final chapter!**

**Wooh! I feel pumped! How about all of you? I'm kinda amused that this chapter ended up being the longest after all. Well, it's the finale, so you guys deserve a treat. **

**The epilogue will be released very soon, could be tomorrow already. I will go into more detail on my feelings about finishing the story, and so on and so forth. **

**But, I do hope you all will enjoy this chapter greatly. If not, well... too bad then. :D  
Do let me know what you think in the reviews, I'd really like if more of you could do them, as I feel that they are my reward for doing this. **

**Anyway, I hope you'll all have fun reading this chapter. I'll see you soon with the epilogue. Keelah se'lai, people, and thanks! Have a good one!****


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The bright stars of the Galactic Core lighted the entire area that spanned millions of light years. The Core was filled with black holes, and stars that went supernova every no and then, making it a dangerous place to travel through.

In an area near to a large black hole, being created out of a giant star's supernova, was a graveyard of thousands of space ships. The ships had ventured there over the course of millions of years, every single one of them having had met the same fate; destruction.

At the edge of the massive graveyard, lied a colossal space station. The station was a tall, metallic and rock-like hybrid structure. Most of the station's outer hull was made out of asteroids, rock. Some bits of it were made out of metal, making it a peculiar sight.

Inside the massive station, in a large control room, a single insectoid-like alien, walked around. The alien had a short body, a large head with four yellow eyes, and multiple crab-like limbs. The alien moved over to a large console, its multiple insectoid arms working on various interfaces.

Suddenly, a yellow hologram of a Reaper appeared on top of the console, which had a hologram projector placed on it. The alien looked up to the Reaper, the small wings flapping on its back for a second. The Reaper looked different from Sovereign, having its tentacle-like legs turned backwards under it, whereas Sovereign had its legs forward. This Reaper also had six eyes.

The Reaper's eyes suddenly began glowing bright yellow.

**"Assuming control."** The loud, metallic voice of the Reaper said. Immediately after that, the alien's body shook around, and its eyes began glowing yellow as well. After a moment, the alien's body stopped shaking, and it calmed down, looking around with its glowing eyes. It then walked over to another console, getting to work.

**"Sovereign has failed. It is time for us to initiate another plan." **The Reaper's loud voice said, through the insectoid alien. The alien swiped away a few dashboards, working on others.

**"Deploy your ships, it is time you remerge from the shadows. The humans have proved themselves a considerable threat, we must find out more about them."** The Reaper said. The alien continued to work on the dashboard, receiving answers from other aliens.

**"Commander Shepard has foiled our plans for now, he must be eliminated." **The Reaper stated, as the alien stopped working on the console, being controlled by it. The Reaper controlled alien returned to the master-console, pressing a few buttons.

**"We are the Harbinger of their destruction. Our time has come again." **The Reaper finished, with its metallic voice. After that, the alien continued its duties, albeit having its eyes glow bright yellow, being controlled by the Reaper, Harbinger.

**...**

Outside in space, a large hangar on the space station opened. It was circular in shape, different from most other hangars used by the other races of the galaxy. A large ship slowly moved out of the hangar. It was built similarly to the station itself, having its hull be mostly consisted of rock, and other parts being made out of metal. The ship was massive in size too, at least a kilometer in length. The ship slowly floated in the area, moving towards the ship graveyard.

Several moments later, the ship was in the middle of the graveyard, some debris from the destroyed ships being pushed from its way, as it slowly flew past them. The hulking ship was headed towards a mass relay, that lied at the other end of the ship graveyard.

The mass relay was red in color, its pulsating core looking unstable, shooting small lightning bolts from its center. The alien ship flew next to the relay, the Reaper built machine surrounding it with the red energy, sending it away from the system, off to who knows where.

After that, the area remained silent again, the dormant wrecks of the ships floating around in peace.

The Reapers had made their next move...

****Alright, so here we go, the final piece in the story.**

**It has been quite a ride, hasn't it? Took me almost a year, but I am glad I got it finished. **

**I will go over the chapters in some time, and make small changes and fixes, but primarily, I will start to work on the ME2 story, which should have its prologue made in a few days. I'm looking forward to it, should be many opportunities to make unique stories with my unique way of telling the story of ME. :D**

**Please do tell me your thoughts on the story as a whole in reviews, if you want. Compliments, things you liked about it, complaints, things you didn't like. I'm looking to always improve, so your input is well appreciated.**

**I've been through some hard things lately, life is hard, I think everyone can agree on that. I do appreciate the support you people have shown me, and I'm thankful to have at least some people in my life, that appreciate me and what I do, even though there are those, who only seek to hurt me.**

**Anyway, I hope to see you guys soon, as we delve into ME2, and aaalllll the delicious fluff opportunities between Tali and John. Oh boy, I can't wait. :D**

**Thanks for reading my story, keep safe, and stay true to Talimancing, like we all should! Keelah se'lai!**

**The sequel, The Fight For The Lost, has begun already. Make sure to begin reading that as well, if you loved this story! :)****


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